When the Pittsburgh Steelers cut 4th round pick Doran Grant last October to make way for running back Jordan Toadman and defensive end Caushaud Lyons Steelers Nation reacted as if Rod Woodson had just been cut.
So Grant and Chickillo get cut but Landry Jones doesn't? Yeah someone must have slipped something in Colbert's drink last night.
— Ahmad (@BigARashad) September 6, 2015
And @BigARashad’s tweet is one of the milder ones.
Doran Grant of course cleared waivers and returned to the Steelers via the practice squad. Two weeks ago, with Ben Roethlisberger not yet ready to return to play, and Michael Vick’s hamstring failing, the Steelers placed cornerback Cortez Allen on injured reserve while activating wide receiver/4th string quarterback Tyler Murphy to the active roster to back up Landry Jones.
Ben Roethlisberger’s return to full health means the Steelers don’t need Murphy’s arm on the QB the depth chart. That secnario saw the Steelers activate Doran Grant and cut Tyler Murphy.
- Steelers Nation met Doran Grant’s activation with deafening silence.
Chalk it up to the peculiarities of roster management. Fans, coaches and general managers a like prize draft picks because of their potential. Suiting up for training camp and playing in preseason might be akin to taking a car off of the showroom floor, but draftee who has never played in the regular season hasn’t had a chance to disappoint.
Steelers Curious Attitude to Cortez Allen
The more curious move behind this is of course Cortez Allen’s banishment to the injured reserve for the second time in two years.
The Steelers thought enough of Allen’s strong finishes to the 2012 and 2013 seasons to award him a$25 million dollar 5 year contract. Yet the Steelers benched Allen in 2014 and only played in 2015’s season-opening loss.
Earlier in the season, “Steelers Dad” from Steel City Blitz reported that sources on the Steelers had indicated that Cortez Allen’s knee injury was worse than publically known. However, as Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune Review indicated Cortez Allen has been a “full” practice participant 3 times and a “limited” practice participant 12 times since his name first surfaced on the injury report.
- When asked why, Allen simply referred reporters to coach Mike Tomlin.
While Tomlin isn’t going to show his cards, his actions speak loudly: Whether it’s due to injury, talent or attitude, the Pittsburgh Steelers have determined that Doran Grant can help their secondary more than Cortez Allen can.
