As I mentioned in my top 10 things to watch pre game analysis of the Washington Redskins game, Stefan Logan needed to impress last night to have any shot of making the roster. The human joystick did just that. Logan was blistering on kickoff returns and showed good hands and vision on the punt returns. Couple that with the fumble by rookie cornerback Joe Burnett on his one return attempt and Logan has securely placed himself just inside the bubble wall. Logan is officially listed as a wide receiver, but can play at running back if needed. The one drawback on Logan is that he likely could not make much of an impact on kick the coverage unit. His return abilities may be just enough though.
The Steelers were first specualed at keeping 4 running backs and one fullback on the roster, but depending on the the health of running back Mewelde Moore, they very well could only carry three running backs and one fullback. The wildcards: rookie running back Isaac Redman and rookie fullback Frank Summers could be risked to pass waivers to be signed to the practice squad, leaving Moore, Willie Parker Rashard Mendenhall and Carey Davis as the lone backfield core on the roster.
Another scenario would be to carry one less linebacker, meaning neither Patrick Bailey or Bruce Davis make the roster. This would enable the Steelers to keep either Summers or Redman in addition to Logan and relegate the other to the practice squad. The last scenario would be to go with one less cornerback, meaning that the rookie Burnett might be a final cut and signed to the practice squad.
The best thing right now, is that two pre season games remain and the final cuts are a long ways off still. Logan likely has earned at least another look in the final two games and could also be showcased to see what trade offers might be available as well. This is an unlikely scenario, but the Steelers themselves traded for return specialist Allen Rossum just prior to the 2007 season, so it remains a possibility. With the start of the season still three full weeks away, these things usually work themselves out naturally, but rest assured Logan opened up some eyes and kept his NFL dreams alive on Saturday night in Washington.
