The Pittsburgh Steelers 2017 Roster is almost fully in focus as Mike Tomlin and Kevin Colbert made a flurry of moves to get their roster to the league mandated 53 man limit. And in doing so the Steelers dynamic-duo showed that they were once again unafraid to venture outside their comfort zone, including:
- trading Sammie Coates and a 2019 7th round pick to Cleveland for a 2018 6th round pick
- trading Ross Cockrell for an undisclosed draft pick
While trading a player in lieu of cutting them isn’t terribly unorthodox, it hasn’t been the Steelers standard operating procedure, especially when it comes on the heels of the Vance McDonald trade and the signing of Joe Haden. Beyond that the Steelers made a number of cuts which count as surprises:
- After finding himself as the Steelers 2nd free agent signing, tight end David Johnson got a visit from the Turk
- Running back Knile Davis, another free agent signing, also got his walking papers
- John Maxey got the boot instead of Daniel McCullers when many expected the reverse
- Colin Holba, the long snapper the Steelers drafted in 2017 NFL Draft failed to make the cut
- Many had 5th round pick Brian Allen pegged for the practice squad, but he’s 1 of the 53
Mike Hilton, a training camp and preseason sensation, also made the team as the Steelers will keep 7 cornerbacks.
Hopefully, Ben Roethlisberger cheering as Martavis Bryant takes off will become a familiar sight. Photo Credit: Peter Diana, Post-Gazette
Steelers 2017 Roster by Position
Quarterbacks (3)
Ben Roethlisberger, Landry Jones, and Joshua Dobbs.
No surprises here.
Running Backs (4)
Le’Veon Bell*, Terrell Watson, James Conner and Roosevelt Nix
Terrell Watson’s power rushing pushed veterans Fitzgerald Toussaint and Davis off the team. Note, Le’Veon Bell doesn’t officially count against the 53 man roster yet.
Wide Receivers (6)
Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Eli Rogers, Justin Hunter and Darrius Heyward-Bey.
No surprises among the first four. Keeping Justin Hunter around will make Ben Roethlisberger happy, and DHB makes team largely because of special teams.
Tight Ends (3)
Vance McDonald, Jesse James and Xavier Grimble.
Jake McGee played well in preseason, but will likely head to practice squad. This site’s got a soft spot for underdogs, making it tough to see David Johnson go.
Offensive Line (9)
Alejandro Villanueva, Ramon Foster, Maurkice Pouncey, David DeCastro, Marcus Gilbert, Chris Hubbard, B.J. Finney, Jerald Hawkins and Matt Feiler.
9 offensive lineman might seem a little high, but if the Steelers 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 season painfully proved, you can never have enough good offensive lineman.
Defensive Line (6)
Cameron Heyward, Javon Hargrave, Stephon Tuitt, Tyson Alualu, L. T. Walton and Daniel McCullers.
A late push by McCullers saves his roster spot. On paper, this is the deepest defensive line Johnny Mitchell has ever had to work with – and he’s been coaching despite being given every chance. Assume he’ll be back on the practice squad.
Outside Linebackers (5)
Bud Dupree, T.J. Watt, James Harrison, Anthony Chickillo and Arthur Moats.
Keeping 5 outside linebackers might seem like a luxury, but remember Arthur Moats has position flexibility to move inside in a pinch.
Inside Linebackers (4)
Ryan Shazier, Vince Williams, Tyler Matakevich and L.J. Fort.
If Shazier stays healthy, this group should be OK. Still it looks a lot less athletic with Timmons in Miami.
Cornerbacks (7)
Artie Burns, Joe Haden, William Gay, Mike Hilton, Cam Sutton, Coty Sensabaugh and Brian Allen.
It almost seems like the Steelers are trying to use quantity to compensate with quality issues…
Safeties (4)
Mike Mitchell, Sean Davis, Robert Golden and Jordan Dangerfield.
To the naked eye this looks good for the Steelers. However, Mike Mitchell has been injured for most of cap, Jordan Dangerfield got injured in the final preseason game, and Robert Golden is not a long term starter.
Specialist (3)
Chris Boswell, Jordan Berry, Kameron Canaday.
It seems that Kameron Canaday and not Colin Holba is the heir Greg Warren.
Finally, to the surprise of no one, the Steelers cut Senquez Golson, their 2nd round draft pick from the 2015 NFL Draft whose NFL career at this point consists of a handful of training camp practices. When fans have asked Steelers Digest editor Bob Labriola about whether Golson would return to the practice squad, his stock answer is that he needs to be healthy enough to practice first.
- Beyond signing their practice squad, the Steelers will also likely need to make another move as Le’Veon Bell does not yet count against their 53 man roster.
There’s a good chance that the Steelers will create space for Le’Veon Bell by putting Cam Sutton on IR, but the Steelers have hardly been predictable of late.
