The Pittsburgh Steelers are now into the regular season, in which they entered with big aspirations, in spite of a tumultuous start to the offseason. Significant players were lost via trade and free agency, players who have helped shape the course of the franchise in recent years. We even now sit here without Ben Roethlisberger after just two games.
The team made some bold moves this offseason and in some areas of the roster look quite a bit different than they did a year ago. That would especially be the case at wide receiver and inside linebacker, where they have new starters. And quarterback was suddenly added to that list.
How will the season progress without Roethlisberger, behind Mason Rudolph? How will the young players advance into their expected roles? Will the new coaches be up to the task? Who is looking good in games? Who is sitting out due to injury?
These are the sorts of questions among many others that we have been exploring on a daily basis and will continue to do so. Football has become a year-round pastime and there is always a question to be asked, though there is rarely a concrete answer, as I’ve learned in my years of doing this.
Question: Will the Steelers put in a waiver claim for former outside linebacker Tuzar Skipper, and will they be awarded him?
Prior to the Los Angeles Chargers game, the Steelers had to release outside linebacker Jayrone Elliott in order to accommodate two positions in which there was not enough insulation against injury. Now Anthony Chickillo’s future with the team is in jeopardy following an arrest for assault.
Skipper originally made the Steelers’ 53-man roster as the number five outside linebacker, coming in as a rookie college free agent, but he was waived with the intention to move him to the practice squad prior to the opener.
He was subsequently claimed by the New York Giants, and remained there until being waived yesterday. Given Pittsburgh’s issues at outside linebacker, and with Mike Tomlin saying that he’s not comfortable in the team’s outside linebacker depth, it stands to reason that they would want to put in a waiver claim for a player they had already just two months ago viewed as rosterable.
Putting in a waiver claim and being awarded the player off waivers are two different discussions though, and as I examined yesterday, there are a handful of teams who have higher-priority claims than Pittsburgh who may well take a look at him.
There’s a reasonable chance that Skipper will be on the Steelers’ 53-man roster by the evening. I’m hoping that will be the case. Will it happen?
