The journey toward Super Bowl LII ended far too prematurely for the Pittsburgh Steelers, sending them into offseason mode before we were ready for it. But we are in it now, and are ready to move on, through the Combine, through free agency, through the draft, into OTAs, and beyond.
We have asked and answered a lot of questions over the years and will continue to do so, and at the moment, there seem to be a ton of questions that need answering. A surprise early exit in the postseason will do that to you though, especially when it happens in the way it did.
You can rest assured that we have the questions, and we will be monitoring developments all throughout the offseason process, all the way down to Latrobe. Pending free agents, possible veteran roster cuts, contract extensions, pre-draft visits, pro days, all of it will have its place when the time arises.
Question: Which player is coming into training camp under the radar that you think can make the 53 or practice squad?
We did the flip side of this question yesterday, so it’s only natural to take it on today. The Steelers are finally set to report to Latrobe for the next several weeks for their annual training camp held out at Saint Vincent College. Which players not getting talked about much now might still be with the team in September?
As with yesterday’s question, I’ll leave the classification of under the radar up to everybody to decide on their own. Be reasonable, though. James Conner is obviously not under the radar—at least not unless you think he’s going to start over Le’Veon Bell or something.
I think a good name for this discussion is actually one that has been on the 53-man roster before. All the excitement at the safety position has been on the four new names brought in, but Jordan Dangerfield shouldn’t be discounted to make a play for a roster spot. We might as well throw in Malik Golden as well. Sticking with the secondary, Dashaun Phillips, now with a full offseason with the team, could fight for an extra defensive back slot.
Among interior linemen, my ‘sleeper’ would be Patrick Morris. R.J. Prince’s versatility could help him push for a spot on the practice squad as well. And we might as well throw in Bryce Harris and Jake Rodgers as potential ninth linemen on the 53.
Quadree Henderson would be one name to monitor at wide receiver, though he would likely be more of a returner. And Ryan Malleck at tight end should not be completely dismissed either, just because Jake McGee was injured.
A lot of focus is on the linebacker position, so almost everybody is under the microscope, but there is a lot of hope resting on the likes of Matthew Thomas and Olasunkanmi Adeniyi to push for a roster spot. Greg Gilmore is another name to watch among the defensive linemen.
