The way to early 53 man rroster

[Shoe]

It's tough to give up on a recent 2nd round pick, but if his former college teammate Mike Hilton is out there showing everything we though Golson could be, then you simply have to keep Hilton and then hope that Golson (who most recent injury should not warrant a spot on I.R. unlike the last 2 seasons) accepts a spot on the practice squad.

Is that even possible, a third-year guy going to the PS? If so, it is an interesting proposition.

[RuthlessBurgher]

I think so, since Golson was never able to suit up for a single actual game during those 2 seasons.

[Slapstick]

I think so, since Golson was never able to suit up for a single actual game during those 2 seasons.

This is correct. It's a rule change that took effect last year, I believe. A PS can have up to two players with no more than two accrued seasons. Golson has two accrued seasons, but has spent zero games on an active roster. If the Steelers cut him, it may be his only option...

[Slapstick]

In regards to the 53, there is not a lot of ambiguity at the top of the roster, but plenty at the bottom...

Like most, I like Anthony Chickillo...I think he'll be the backup to Dupree and a core ST player (30% of defensive snaps last season, almost 70% of special teams snaps)...I don't think that Moats is his competition for a roster spot...I'm thinking that the Steelers keep 9 LBs, 4 OLB and 4 ILB with Moats as the "swing LB", capable of playing in or out...the competition IMO will be between Steven Johnson and LJ Fort...both are ST players, but Johnson started games for the Broncos during their SB run...if everything is equal, I give the veteran the edge, though it's hard to say...

I think McCullers goes...I think the Steelers like the versatility and work ethic of DL backups Alualu, Walton, and Maxey...

DB is tough in those last few spots...I'm thinking 6 CBs and 4 safeties...Mitchell, Davis, Golden, and Dangerfield at safety...Burns, Cockrell, Gay, Sensabaugh, and Sutton for the first 5 CB spots...the 6th spot is tough, between freakish athlete Brian Allen, who has shown improvement and some sick athleticism, and underdog training camp phenom Mike Hilton...man, that could be tough, based on preseason performances...

[RuthlessBurgher]

Is that even possible, a third-year guy going to the PS? If so, it is an interesting proposition.

Bob Labriola posted the following in today's "Asked and Answered" entry:

As promised in a previous edition of Asked and Answered, the following is a list of all players currently on the Steelers roster who are eligible to be signed to the practice squad in 2017. There are two categories of players who can be signed to the practice squad: Practice Squad Eligible, and Exempt. Four of the 10 players on a team’s practice squad can be from the Exempt category. And as always, all players must clear league waivers before they can be signed to the practice squad.



EXEMPT: Martavis Bryant, Eli Rogers, Artie Burns, Fitz Toussaint, Jordan Dangerfield, Tyler Matakevich, Bud Dupree, L.J. Fort, Anthony Chickillo, B.J. Finney, Al Villanueva, Jesse James, Cobi Hamilton, Xavier Grimble, L.T. Walton, and Sammie Coates.

PRACTICE SQUAD ELIGIBLE: Joshua Dobbs, Bart Houston, Canaan Severin, Demarcus Ayers, Marcus Tucker, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Cameron Sutton, Senquez Golson, Brian Allen, Malik Golden, James Conner, JaCorey Shepherd, Trey Williams, Brandon Dixon, Brandon Brown-Dukes, Greg Ducre, Terrell Watson, Mike Hilton, Farrington Huguenin, Jacob Hagen, Kameron Canaday, Matt Galambos, Colin Holba, Keith Kelsey, Kyle Friend, Francis Kallon, Lucas Crowley, Ethan Cooper, Christian Brown, Jerald Hawkins, Lavon Hooks, Jake Rodgers, Brian Mihalik, Roy Philon, Keavon Milton, Jake McGee, Phazahn Odom, T.J. Watt, Johnny Maxey, and Keion Adams.

http://www.steelers.com/news/asked-and-answered/article-1/Asked-and-Answered-Aug-10/e478bd3b-2b87-4909-ac75-86145e72c969

[Shoe]

Bob Labriola posted the following in today's "Asked and Answered" entry:

As promised in a previous edition of Asked and Answered, the following is a list of all players currently on the Steelers roster who are eligible to be signed to the practice squad in 2017. There are two categories of players who can be signed to the practice squad: Practice Squad Eligible, and Exempt. Four of the 10 players on a team’s practice squad can be from the Exempt category. And as always, all players must clear league waivers before they can be signed to the practice squad.



EXEMPT: Martavis Bryant, Eli Rogers, Artie Burns, Fitz Toussaint, Jordan Dangerfield, Tyler Matakevich, Bud Dupree, L.J. Fort, Anthony Chickillo, B.J. Finney, Al Villanueva, Jesse James, Cobi Hamilton, Xavier Grimble, L.T. Walton, and Sammie Coates.

PRACTICE SQUAD ELIGIBLE: Joshua Dobbs, Bart Houston, Canaan Severin, Demarcus Ayers, Marcus Tucker, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Cameron Sutton, Senquez Golson, Brian Allen, Malik Golden, James Conner, JaCorey Shepherd, Trey Williams, Brandon Dixon, Brandon Brown-Dukes, Greg Ducre, Terrell Watson, Mike Hilton, Farrington Huguenin, Jacob Hagen, Kameron Canaday, Matt Galambos, Colin Holba, Keith Kelsey, Kyle Friend, Francis Kallon, Lucas Crowley, Ethan Cooper, Christian Brown, Jerald Hawkins, Lavon Hooks, Jake Rodgers, Brian Mihalik, Roy Philon, Keavon Milton, Jake McGee, Phazahn Odom, T.J. Watt, Johnny Maxey, and Keion Adams.

http://www.steelers.com/news/asked-and-answered/article-1/Asked-and-Answered-Aug-10/e478bd3b-2b87-4909-ac75-86145e72c969

That clears things up a lot. I think PS is a good place to stash a 2nd round draft pick who you still haven't been able to evaluate, because (unless I'm ignorant) I don't see how any other team looking for DB help would risk signing him to their active roster.

[Iron City Inc.]

That clears things up a lot. I think PS is a good place to stash a 2nd round draft pick who you still haven't been able to evaluate, because (unless I'm ignorant) I don't see how any other team looking for DB help would risk signing him to their active roster.

There are some bad teams out there so my guess and it's just a guess is that he would get claimed.

[Slapstick]

My feelings about the offensive side of the ball are similar, the top is well entrenched, while the bottom has plenty of wiggle room...

I believe there will be three QBs on the roster...we all know who they are...

Three TEs: James, Johnson, and

1 FB: Nix...

6 WRs: AB, Bryant, Rogers, Smith-Schuster, Heyward-Bey, and Coates...I was on the edge about Demarcus Ayers, but I really haven't heard or read anything about him...preseason could change my mind, however...Hunter had a good first week of camp and then was injured...I don't believe he's playing in the first preseason game...

I think the competition will be between a 4th RB and a 9th Offensive lineman...

Will the Steelers keep 4 RBs? It depends what Terrell Watson looks like...as well as Knile Davis and Fitzgerald Toussiant...there will be one or two roster spots for those three...

Will the Steelers keep 9 OL? Right now, I have AV, Foster, Pouncey, DeCastro, and Gilbert...backups are Hubbard, Finney, and Hawkins...will a guy like Ethan Cooper show enough to stick? Would he be safe on the PS? (probably)...

I'm thinking that Watson and Cooper could be PS guys...though, preseason can change minds...

[RuthlessBurgher]

Six Steelers on the roster bubble who helped, or hurt, their chances of making the roster vs. the Giants


For players on the bubble, one game can make or break their chances of making an NFL roster. Here are six players who changed their luck, for better or worse, in the first week of the NFL pre-season when the Steelers took on the Giants.

by Mike Frazer

Aug 17, 2017, 11:30am EDT

Friday, August 11 marked the beginning of the competitive portion of the 2017 schedule for the Steelers, as they took the field for their first pre-season game. Particularly due to injuries, several players who would normally be well down the depth chart had considerable playing time against the Giants. For some, it helped their case for a spot on the final 53-man roster. For others, it put the behind the eight-ball. And, for one wide receiver, it pushed him out the back door.

In: Running back Terrell Watson

You would be forgiven to think the hill Watson stared up as training camp commenced had to have looked about like Everest and K2 stacked on top of one another. He wasn’t even on the team for rookie minicamp; he was signed to fill the hole created by the release of tight end Ladarius Green. Then, he found himself buried behind Le’Veon Bell, James Conner, Fitzgerald Toussaint and Knile Davis, among others.

Thanks to Bell’s training-camp holdout, and Conner’s shoulder injury, Watson found himself in an unfamiliar position Friday night: in uniform and between the sidelines of an NFL field.

He didn’t disappoint.

When it was all said and done, Watson wasn’t the Steelers’ leading rusher; he was the game’s leading rusher, with 44 yards on 10 carries. Watson is a big guym at 6’-1” and 240 pounds, and he runs a lot like another former big back in Pittsburgh: Jerome Bettis. Both are one-cut runners with shiftiness that belies their stature. He certainly evoked memories of The Bus on his 15-yard touchdown run.

Out: Running back Fitzgerald Toussaint

It’s not that Toussaint had a bad showing. In fact, he had a nice, 11-yard run on which he showed new speed and agility he hadn’t so far as a Steeler.

The problem is that he didn’t stand out. For a guy who is entering his third season on the team, you begin to expect improvement. Aside from a little more burst, though, he seems to have plateaued. When there is an exciting, young guy like Watson coming up through the ranks, that doesn’t look good.

In: Cornerback Mike Hilton

It’s hard to say something new about Hilton at this point. That’s because he’s sort of the talk of training camp in Pittsburgh. He’s 5’-9” and just 184 pounds. He was signed to a futures contract after the Steelers’ season ended, about a month after he was signed to the team’s practice squad. He was everything that screamed “camp body”. Then, he simply went to camp and stole the show.

Considering the presence of rookies T.J. Watt, JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Conner, it’s hard to imagine an undrafted free agent being the talk of training camp, but here we are. He’s looked like a veteran in most practices, and then he went out to the field Friday night and got four tackles, one sack and a fumble recover that he probably, indirectly, forced. As a special teams gunner, he was usually the first guy down the field.

Out: Cornerback Senquez Golson

Stop me if you’ve heard this one: Golson didn’t play due to injury.

For someone who has missed his first two pro seasons, the last thing Golson needed was another pre-season injury. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what he got, and now he’s forced to watch the likes of Hilton and Coty Sensabaugh push him down — and maybe off — the roster. It wasn’t supposed to be this way for the former second-round pick, and maybe he’s just the most unlucky person in the NFL. But, no matter how you slice it, he’s in dire straits right now.

In: Wide Receiver Cobi Hamilton

All Hamilton did Friday night was make plays. He was on the receiving end of both of rookie quarterback Joshua Dobbs’ longest receptions, including one for a touchdown. The other thing he did, though, was show up big on special teams, forcing a fair catch and later making the tackle on the two punts on which he played.

At 6’-2” and 212 pounds, Hamilton gives the Steelers another big target. If his hands continue to look the way they did on his leaping, 44-yard grab, in particular, he’s likely to make the roster.

Out: Wide Receiver Canaan Severin

And I mean way out. As in, out the door.

Following a game in which the young receiver made some very nice plays, but canceled them out with some significantly bad (and poorly timed) drops, Severin was released from the team. Now, it seems it’s possible that head coach Mike Tomlin saw Severin as the least likely of the other big receivers on the roster to make the team, and wanted to give the young man time to latch on elsewhere. They have, after all, six other receivers who are at least 6’-0”. It’s also possible that Severin’s release was necessitated by the signing of linebacker Austin Gearing, who was added for depth because of a significant number of injuries to the team’s linebacker corps.

What we know for sure, though, is Tomlin felt Severin was expendable. Sometimes, dropping an uncontested ball that hits you in the hands will do that.

https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/pittsburgh-steelers-nfl-features-news-blog-long-form/2017/8/17/16140400/six-steelers-roster-bubble-helped-hurt-chances-2017-preseason-week-one-analysis

[Ghost]

Take it for what it's worth, but in Gerry Dulac's (Post Gazette) weekly chat this week he was specifically asked which WRs make the final roster. After watching camp everyday he stated: Bryant, Coates, Rogers, Smith-Schuster, Brown, Heyward-Bay.

[phillyesq]

Take it for what it's worth, but in Gerry Dulac's (Post Gazette) weekly chat this week he was specifically asked which WRs make the final roster. After watching camp everyday he stated: Bryant, Coates, Rogers, Smith-Schuster, Brown, Heyward-Bay.

I've kind of thought that was the most logical grouping all along. Heyward-Bey is almost Chidi Iwouma or Sean Morey - a ST player given a token positional designation. The difference is that he can still get some WR snaps in a pinch. He and Coates likely beat out Justin Hunter because they can play on STs, which Hunter doesn't.

[SteelerOfDeVille]

I've kind of thought that was the most logical grouping all along. Heyward-Bey is almost Chidi Iwouma or Sean Morey - a ST player given a token positional designation. The difference is that he can still get some WR snaps in a pinch. He and Coates likely beat out Justin Hunter because they can play on STs, which Hunter doesn't.

honestly, between Coates and Hunter, it'll come down to who Ben trusts most. Though Ben may not say a word, HE can dictate the outcome of the battle by simply giving one guy more opportunities because he trusts them.

[phillyesq]

That clears things up a lot. I think PS is a good place to stash a 2nd round draft pick who you still haven't been able to evaluate, because (unless I'm ignorant) I don't see how any other team looking for DB help would risk signing him to their active roster.

At this point, I'm not even sure that the PS is a given for Golson. We all look at the PS as an opportunity for development of young guys, but the team needs guys who can practice. And he needs to be healthy enough to practice.

[Ghost]

I think Heyward-Bey makes it for a couple of reasons - 4th yr on Steelers and knows the system, He is still a big (6'2"), fast guy. He's a special teams gamer. And the tipping point if it's close between him and another player is that by all accounts he's a nice, smart, well-respected veteran presence on the field and in the locker room. I think that goes far with Tomlin and Steelers management/ownership.

As for Golson - while he didn't need surgery; a PG reporter referred to his injury as a tear this week. It's not good. He's at least a few more weeks away with a small shot at some time in the last preseason game (8/31), maybe. I don't see how he makes the team with no practice and a hamstring that could blow up at any second (Plus same size Hilton turning heads and freakish sized Allen getting a long look) . 3 seasons - 7 practices - 5 completed practices. I think he has a hard time even making the practice squad. I see them cutting bait.

[Oviedo]

I think Heyward-Bey makes it for a couple of reasons - 4th yr on Steelers and knows the system, He is still a big (6'2"), fast guy. He's a special teams gamer. And the tipping point if it's close between him and another player is that by all accounts he's a nice, smart, well-respected veteran presence on the field and in the locker room. I think that goes far with Tomlin and Steelers management/ownership.

As for Golson - while he didn't need surgery; a PG reporter referred to his injury as a tear this week. It's not good. He's at least a few more weeks away with a small shot at some time in the last preseason game (8/31), maybe. I don't see how he makes the team with no practice and a hamstring that could blow up at any second (Plus same size Hilton turning heads and freakish sized Allen getting a long look) . 3 seasons - 7 practices - 5 completed practices. I think he has a hard time even making the practice squad. I see them cutting bait.

IMO no harm putting Golson on the PS or IR. We lose nothing