The Pittsburgh Steelers will open training camp before you know it, the first opportunity for most to watch their team. They have a lot of rookies drawing excitement this year, and young players on the verge of breaking out. But championship rosters require all sorts of players, and you never know quite where.
In that spirit, I offer a list of five offensive veterans who need a strong camp to retain their roster spots. These are guys who have already been on the roster but find themselves on the fringes, for whatever reason. Some may be closer to securing a job than others, but none of them can afford to slip.
WR Calvin Austin III:
Like some of the other players in this list, I think we can say Calvin Austin III is inside the roster bubble. Other wide receivers are calling him the leader of the room, but ultimately, he still has to produce. Right now, his best asset is that he is the starting punt returner, but they can find someone else to do that. So far the Steelers haven’t gotten much out of him, and if he doesn’t impress, that only makes it more likely they trade for somebody.
TE Rodney Williams:
It’s hard to say whether Williams is inside or outside the roster bubble, but I’ll lean outside. While he is a special teams player first, he did contribute offensively for the Steelers last year. He is a guy who has great hustle and has some ability, despite his lack of pedigree. The new kickoff rules could only serve to make him more valuable, and MyCole Pruitt less so.
Dan Moore Jr.:
These next few are interesting cases because they interlink and call back to last season. Dylan Cook and Spencer Anderson made Kevin Dotson and Kendrick Green expendable a year ago. Cook and Troy Fautanu (and potentially Anderson) can help make Moore expendable as well. The Steelers won’t cut him if he loses his starting job, but a trade offer could sway them if they are comfortable with their other options.
Nate Herbig:
Nate Herbig is another veteran who is potentially vulnerable, mostly because he is making $4 million. That’s a lot to pay for a backup and nobody expects him to hold off Zach Frazier at center. But it’s Mason McCormick who could ultimately displace him as the Steelers’ top interior reserve. They also moved Anderson to guard. If the young guys step up, Herbig is a potential trade or cut candidate.
Dylan Cook:
Cook made the 53-man roster last year as the ninth lineman. He had an impressive training camp, but he will need to have another to keep his job. Given the other maneuvers this offseason, I expect them to leave him at tackle and let him mature there. If he can show that he can be the swing tackle, he could knock Moore off the roster.
