The Pittsburgh Steelers cut 18 players to get to the NFL’s mandate roster limit of 53. Headlining the cuts were running back Josh Harris, backup center/guard Doug Legursky, cornerbacks B.W. Webb, Kevin Fogg and 7th round pick safety Gerod Holiman.
- The Steelers recently resigned Doug Legursky so his wavier is a surprise, but they are expected to resign him once they place Maurkice Pouncey on the injured reserve designated return list.
With Le’Veon Bell facing a 2 game suspension, Josh Harris had a golden opportunity to establish himself as the Steelers third running back.
However, Harris did not perform well in preseason after spending much of training camp injured, and the Steelers will go with DeAngelo Williams as their prime running back, and Will Johnson and Dri Archer will serve as his backups. Fullback Roosevelt Nix also made the roster giving the Steelers 2 players at a position where many teams have none.
- The Steelers cuts in the secondary also yielded surprises.
Kevin Fogg had an outstanding camp by all accounts and had the Steelers lone interception during preseason, he was expected to challenge B.W. Webb for a roster spot, instead both both visits from The Turk, as did 7th round draft pick Gerod Holiman.
The Steelers instead opted to sign cornerback Ross Cockrell whom the Buffalo Bills drafted in the 4th round of the 2014 NFL Draft and who appeared in 7 games for Buffalo last year.
The other Steeles hopefuls who got visits from The Turk are: The Steelers released 18 players and placed linemen Mitchell Van Dyk and Kelvin Palmer on the team’s waived/injured list.
running back Jawon Chisholm
offensive linemen Reese Dismukes and B.J. Finney
wide receivers Shakim Phillips and Jarrod West
defensive linemen Matt Conrath, Ethan Hemer and Mike Thornton
linebackers L.J. Fort, Shayon Green and Howard Jones
safeties Jordan Dangerfield and Alden Darby
The Steelers also placed offensive lineman Mitchell Van Dyk and Kelvin Palmer on the team’s waived/injured list. In other roster moves, the Steelers traded 2014’s punter Brad Wing to the New York Giants for a conditional 7th round pick, and will begin the 2015 season with Jordan Berry as their punter.
Practice Squad Potential
Steelers decision to sign Ross Cockrell indicates that the final composition of the Steelers 53 man opening day roster is far from complete. The Steelers depth at offensive and defensive line is painfully thin, and Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin will certainly be scouring the wavier wire looking for potential additions.
Several of the Steelers players who were cut can expect to return to the Steelers practice squad, with Kevin Fogg and Jordan Dangerfield topping the list. Howard Jones also could return for a second year, as could C.J. Goodwin and Ian Wild, whom the Steelers cut earlier in the week.
