With the preseason having wrapped up on Friday with an ugly loss to the Carolina Panthers, the Pittsburgh Steelers must trim their 80-man roster down to 53 by Tuesday. A lot of the players that fans (and I am sure the Steelers as well), thought were going to provide significant depth and promise did not perform well in the 34-9 routing at Carolina. With a bevy of 9 players already being cut on Saturday afternoon, I will explore three positions on the roster that will hurt the Steelers in 2021 if they aren't addressed before September 12th when the Steelers travel to play the Buffalo Bills.
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1. Third Inside Linebacker
This is a position that does not get a lot of attention from the media, but can be a huge part of a team if there is an injury. As seen when Devin Bush went down with a torn achilles in 2020, the middle of the field can easily be exploited if you do not have playmakers who can not only stuff the run, but cover slot receivers and tight ends. The Steelers sured up the spot next to Bush by sending a sixth-round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars for Joe Schobert. However, this still leaves a question mark as to who will play the primary back up role behind Bush and Schobert. It was believed that Robert Spillane could potentially be that guy, but after his performance this preseason, I doubt the Steelers feel comfortable having him playing significant snaps in the regular season. His run stopping ability is average and his coverage ability is extremely below average. The Steelers will likely keep Ulysses Gilbert III on the roster, but he will provide little to nothing in terms of inside linebacker play and if they do keep fourth-round pick Buddy Johnson on the active 53-man roster, he will only contribute on special teams. The Steelers must look for a guy who can provide meaningful depth behind Schobert and Bush in order to have a back up plan if either misses a chunk of time.
2. Cornerback
This is a position that quickly went from being a strength of the Steelers at the beginning of the 2021 offseason to a question mark. When the Steelers released Steven Nelson due to salary cap issues, question marks starting swirling around who was going to replace the best corner for the Steelers over the past two seasons. The Steelers extended Cam Sutton at the beginning of the offseason and it was presumed Sutton would take over for Nelson. However, with injuries and under performance by multiple players attempting to fill the roll of slot corner, it appears Sutton will likely have to kick down to slot which leaves a big hole at outside corner. The Steelers have a solid player in Joe Haden manning one side of the field, but with an undrafted free agent in James Pierre and an underwhelming third-round pick in Justin Layne battling for the spot across from Haden, the Steelers must make a move to sure up an integral part of a successful defense. Pierre has shown flashes so far in the preseason, but has only played 35 regular season snaps in his career, so he will inevitably go through some struggles this year. A veteran corner who can not only help Pierre through those struggles, but also give him a breather every couple plays or series, should be at the top of the Steelers priority list when other teams begin to cut veterans over the next couple days.
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3. Fifth Wide Receiver
The Steelers have notoriously kept five wide receivers on their 53-man roster under the direction of general manager, Kevin Colbert and head coach, Mike Tomlin and don't expect that to change in 2021. The Steelers have possibly the best foursome of receivers in the NFL with Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Washington. However, the fifth position is still up for grabs and with very little showing from presumed roster lock Ray-Ray McCloud during this preseason, the Steelers should explore their options over the next couple days. McCloud did have a touchdown at the end of the game in Carolina, but his play prior to the final drive was underwhelming to say the least. The Steelers often deploy three to four receiver sets and the fifth receiver could easily play a meaningful amount of snaps if either of the four guys ahead of him go down for any amount of time. McCloud has often been used a gadget guy and can become a big tell when he's placed on the field for the opposing defenses. The Steelers should lock up their fifth spot by signing a veteran who not only can be counted on to play receiver, but provide stability on special teams.
What spots do you think the Steelers need to sure up before starting the regular season? Sound off in the comments below!
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