The decision has been made. The Pittsburgh Steelers officially announced on Tuesday that they have waived linebacker Marshall McFadden and running back Baron Batch to make room for wide receiver Plaxico Burress and quarterback Brian Hoyer, who were both signed to the 53 man roster after working out for the team Tuesday morning.
McFadden had been promoted to the 53 man roster last week after Chris Carter was placed on injured reserve and Stevenson Sylvester was down with a hamstring injury. It is expected that McFadden will be signed back to the practice squad after clearing waivers.
The waiving of Batch, the Steelers 7th round draft pick last year, was a bit of a surprise. The Texas Tech product missed his entire rookie season due to tearing his knee up in training camp prior to the start of the 2011 preseason. Batch was active for 10 games this season so that likely makes him ineligible for the practice squad as a result.