Last Thursday I wrote about how I thought fourth-year linebacker Stevenson Sylvester might have to show some position flexibility in order to make the Pittsburgh Steelers 53 man roster in 2013. Now, nearly one week later, Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review is reporting Wednesday that Sylvester has been moved outside after predominantly working inside since he was drafted in 2010.
“I am just doing whatever they tell me,” Sylvester said per Kaboly\’s report. “If they want me to go outside, I’ll go outside. If they want me to go inside, I’ll go inside.”
While Sylvester apparently hasn\’t been told why he is being moved, he\’s trying to learn all about the outside position anyway that he can and that includes watching plenty of tape and constantly talking to the other outside linebackers on the roster.
As I pointed out last week, Sylvester did receive some playing time at left outside linebacker during the one and only preseason game that he played in last year, but that didn\’t amount to many snaps. The news that he is being moved outside for good, however, can\’t be viewed as a positive, and you have to think that he\’s currently way outside of the roster bubble heading into training camp.
Sylvester\’s position switch likely means Marshall McFadden has impressed enough to now be considered a serious contender for a roster spot. McFadden can play both the BUCK and MACK position, so I suspect we will see quite a bit of him during the preseason once the starters exit.
Steelers linebackers coach Keith Butler said back in April that this upcoming offseason was going to be a make-or-break one for Sylvester, and it looks like the arrow is pointing heavily in the break direction right now as the team starts to wrap up their offseason practices.
