Mike Tomlin vowed to make changes after the Steelers loss in London gave them their first 0-4 start since the Bill Austin era. In rapid succession:
- Mike Adams got benched
- Levi Brown was acquired by an in-season trade
- Cameron Heyward was promoted to starter in favor of Ziggy Hood
Behind the Steel Curtain has also reported that Shamarko Thomas will get more snaps at the expense of Ryan Clark. William Gay was apparently running with the first team head of Cortez Allen…. These moves may or may not come to pass, but there’s another that is far less hypothetical.
- Linebacker Kion Wilson has been cut, and Stevenson Sylvester has returned.
The Steelers drafted Sylvester in the 5th round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Sylvester played well on special teams and in spot duty. However, he did not make much of a leap between his rookie and “sophomore” year. Sylvester started in the Steelers ’11 upset of the Patriots, but was quickly pulled from the game.
Injuries and inconsistent play kept Sylvester off the field for much of 2012, and the Steelers did not even bother to extend him a restricted free agent tender.
No other team took him, and the Steelers brought him back to training camp, but his Sylvester’s name headlined the first round of cuts.
- Like Jonathan Dwyer, Stevenson Sylvester can apparently come home again.
How much upside Sylvester can bring an 0-4 team is unknown, but he does offer one value that neither Wilson nor Vince Williams can boast – knowledge of Dick LeBeau’s defense.
Allen Next?
One of the more underrated players in the Steelers 2012 defense was safety Will Allen. Playing without Troy Polamalu for much of the year, the Steelers struggled with Ryan Mundy playing in his slot.
- When they benched Mundy and played Allen, the Steelers defense improved.
So it was some what of a minor surprise when Allen defected to Dallas. Dallas waived him after the loss to the Broncos, and look where he appeared next:
Will Allen working out w Steelers as we tweet. Will Gay ran 1st team RCB today. Cortez Allen practiced as nickel bc of “injury issues.” ???
— James C Wexell (@jimwexell) October 9, 2013
- Could the Steelers be planning another roster move?
It is certainly possible. Outside of Clark and Polamalu the Steelers have next to no experienced depth at safety. Allen would provide that, although at the expense of some younger player’s roster spot.
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