Now that the Pittsburgh Steelers have drafted Michigan State running back Le\’Veon Bell in the second round of the 2013 NFL draft, there is now a decent chance that either Jonathan Dwyer or Isaac Redman won\’t make the final 53 man roster.
Both Dwyer and Redman were restricted free agents this offseason and each signed one-year tenders worth $1.323 million, which are not guaranteed.
There was a report on Saturday that suggested the Steelers were attempting to trade Dwyer during the draft, but that never came to fruition, as expected. The Steelers former sixth-round draft pick would likely be considered more marketable than Redman is, but it now appears that he is set to at least battle at training camp for a roster spot.
In addition to drafting Bell on Saturday, the Steelers also signed free agent running back LaRod Stephens-Howling to the roster. The fifth-year running back was deemed a different kind of back than Bell is by Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley, who more than likely sees the former seventh-round draft pick of the Arizona Cardinals as a third down and change of pace back. A plus for Stephens-Howling is the fact that he can return kickoffs, and that is something that neither Dwyer nor Redman do.
Should either Dwyer of Redman ultimately be released or traded, the Steelers will be able to save just under another $1 million in cap space following roster displacement. While it would be nice to be able to keep both this season they won\’t have the room on the roster to keep two power backs as backups that each earn well over a million. Somebody has to go.
