Home Training Camp News Steelers Roster? – Tell Us What YOU Think

Steelers Roster? – Tell Us What YOU Think

by Ben Anderson

Tell us who you think will be on the 53 man roster in 2015.

Barring some very big surprises, most of the Steelers roster spots were already decided before camp even started. The pecking order within that roster may change, but over 80% of the roster was already known in June.

Sure Bets:

QB: Ben Roethlisberger, Bruce Gradkowski (2)

RB: Le’Veon Bell, DeAngelo Williams, Dri Archer (3)

FB: Will Johnson (1)

WR: Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant, Markus Wheaton, Darius Heyward-Bey Sammie Coates (5)

TE: Heath Miller, Matt Spaeth, Jesse James (3)

OT: Kelvin Beachum, Marcus Gilbert, Mike Adams (3)

OG: David DeCastro, Ramon Foster, Cody Wallace(G/C) (3) 

C: Maurkice Pouncey (1)

NT: Steve McLendon (Little Mac), Dan McCullers (Big Mac) (2)

DE: Cam Heyward, Stephon Tuitt (2) – and this may just be my anti-Cam Thomas bias talking.

OLB: Jarvis Jones, Arthur Moats, James Harrison, Bud Dupree (4)

ILB: Lawrence Timmons, Ryan Shazier, Vince Williams, Sean Spence (4)

CB: William Gay, Cortez Allen, Antwon Blake, Senquez Golson, Doran Grant (5)

S: Mike Mitchell, Shamarko Thomas, Will Allen, Rob Golden (4)

Specialists: K-Sean Suisham, LS-Greg Warren, P- ? (2)

Let us know who you think will make it and who will be placed on the practice squad. There are only nine roster spots open in this scenario (and one is a punter), plus the ten man practice squad.

I’ll post my own predictions in the comments, but this is really more about everyone else’s predictions than mine. What do you guys think? Inquiring minds want to know. I’ll post a follow up in September identifying the person who had the closest prediction. All that’s at stake is bragging rights, but it’s fun to do this time of year.

The candidates:

Specialists: P-Brad Wing, P-Jordan Berry – I would have listed Wing above on the presumed roster if his performance hadn’t been so dismal last year. I really have no idea what will happen here, other than one of them will definitely make it.

QB: Landry Jones, Tajh Boyd, Devin Gardner, Tyler Murphy – Any of them as the 3rd? Put a QB on the practice squad and go into the season with 2?

RB: Josh Harris, Ross Scheuerman, Cameron Stingly – Only 1 more will be added and he may very well be cut when Bell returns from his suspension.

FB: Roosevelt Nix – Only 1 will make the roster. Can Nix bump Johnson?

WR: CJ Goodwin, Devin Gardner, Tyler Murphy, Eli Rogers, Shakim Phillips – The Steelers are likely to carry only 5. Will one of these guys knock off DHB?

TE: Rob Blanchflower, Cam Clear, Michael Egnew – The Steelers are likely to carry only 4; possibly just 3. Who is number 4? Who goes to the practice squad?

Note: You could almost put the OL candidates into one group. It would be a pretty big surprise for more than one of the following nine guys to make the 53-man roster.

OT: Alejandro Villanueva, Kevin Whimpey, Kevin Palmer, Mitchell Van Dyk – The Steelers are likely to carry only 3 if they deem Adams’ back injury sufficiently healed. If not, they may put him on PUP to start the season. Regardless they’ll almost certainly stash at least 1 on the practice squad for emergency use. What happens here?

OG: Chris Hubbard, BJ Finney, Miles Dieffenbach, Reese Dismukes, Colin Rahrig – Given Wallace’s position flexibility and the fact that the coaches trust him, another guard making this roster if he can’t also play center seems like a longshot. What do you think?

C: BJ Finney, Reese Dismukes, Colin Rahrig – these guys can play center and guard.

NT: Mike Thornton – Will Thornton be able to do enough to push Cam Thomas off the roster? Thomas can play all 3 positions along the line. None of them very well, but still position flexibility has value……

DE: LT Walton, Cam Thomas, Clifton Geathers, Joe Kruger, Matt Conrath, Ethan Hemer, Niko Davis – Will they expose Walton to waivers? Will someone step up and push the below average Cam Thomas to the waiver wire? Will Clifton Geathers make the 8th time (ok, team) the charm? It’s likely the Steelers will carry 6 D linemen total. Who will the last two be?

Note: Same situation at LB as the OL. Most of the LB unit is set. Maybe one more of the following six guys will make the 53 man roster. It’s almost certain that some combination of 2 or 3 of them will be kept on the roster or on the practice squad.

OLB: Howard Jones, Shawn Lemon (cut 7/29), Anthony Chickillo, Shayon Green

ILB: Terence Garvin, Jordan Zumwalt

CB: BW Webb, Kevin Fogg – The Steelers may carry only 5 CBs and stash another on the practice squad.

S: Ross Ventrone, Gerod Holliman – Only those two have a reasonable shot at making the roster. The other safeties: Alden Darby, Isaiah Lewis, Ian Wild – If the Steelers carry 6 CBs, they will likely only carry 4 safeties and then stash one or two on the practice squad. If they carry only 5, then one of these guys makes the roster and maybe one more makes the practice squad.

There it is. Let us know what you think!

You may also like

7 comments

Ben Anderson July 28, 2015 - 4:39 pm

P: Jordan Berry– although that really is a wild guess based more on Wing than Berry

QB: None, (Landry Jones on Practice Squad) – Cut Tajh Boyd
RB: Josh Harris, (Ross Scheuerman, Practice Squad) – Cut Cam Stingly {Project Harris being cut week 4 (week 3, now that Bell’s suspension has been reduced!) and put on PS in place of Scheuerman}
FB: None, – Cut Roosevelt Nix
WR: None (CJ Goodwin & Devin Gardner on PS) – Cut, Tyler Murphy, Eli Rogers, Shakim Phillips
TE: Cam Clear – Cut Rob Blanchflower, Michael Egnew
OT: None, (Alejandro Villanueva on PS)
OG: BJ Finney(G/C), (Miles Dieffenbach on PS) – Cut Chris Hubbard, Reese Dismukes, Colin Rahrig
C: backup centers covered by Wallace and Finney

NT: None, – Cut Mike Thornton
DE: Clifton Geathers, LT Walton (Matt Conrath on PS) – Cut Cam Thomas, Joe Kruger, Ethan Hemer, Niko Davis {Cam Thomas becomes a victim of his $2M salary. LT Walton and Conrath could end up reversed with Conrath the 4th DE and Walton on the PS.}
OLB: None, (Howard Jones and Anthony Chickillo on the PS) – Cut Shawn Lemon, Shayon Green {Lemon is the victim of injury, starting on PUP. Green never really had a shot to catch on with a very talented group.}
ILB: Terence Garvin(a favorite of Keith Butler) – Cut Jordan Zumwalt
CB: Kevin Fogg – Cut BW Webb
S: Gerod Holliman(Alden Darby on PS) – Cut Ross Ventrone, Isaiah Lewis, Ian Wild {If the Steelers keep a 3rd QB, Holliman is on the Practice Squad in place of a WR}

Ricky Smith July 29, 2015 - 11:30 pm

I’m pulling for Geathers and/or Walton to put Cam Thomas out of our misery. I think Holliman makes it and Chickillo is the camp surprise and makes it on STs. Hoping TPBB is right about Laundry Jones and they either only keep 2 QBs or Boyd finally shoves him out the door.

TomPaulBillyBob July 28, 2015 - 4:41 pm

I’m betting on Tajh Boyd making it as a third QB (on the 53) and LJ out the door. Unfortunately, that 3rd QB spot also displaces another, which I think will be Ventrone (though I’m not sure how his injury would play into it)

bob graff July 29, 2015 - 3:02 am

These are my thoughts, on offense Will Johnson, Mike Adams and Dri Archer are not worthy of locked up spots. On defense the weak spots are at OLB and CB where there are no guarantees and a whole bunch of i hope so. True open competition would do this team a ton of good.

Vittorio Di Stazio July 29, 2015 - 8:04 pm

I still firmly believe that Blanchflower and not James will get that 3rd TE spot and that James ends up on the practice squad. I know that I am going to get heat for that prediction but I don’t care I’m sticking to what I feel is going to happen with the TE situation.

Ben Anderson July 29, 2015 - 9:14 pm

I hope you’re right about Blanchflower. I included James because I don’t think he would survive waivers in a TE starved league with a poor TE class coming out next year. I have them keeping 4 TEs anyway.

Steve Gallagly July 30, 2015 - 4:36 am

I think the 10 man practice squad will be QB. Landry Jones , RB Cameron Stingly,maybe just till Bell is back and Harris is placed on the practice squad WR CJ Goodwin and Devin Gardner TE Cameron Clear Ol Alejandro Villanueva Dl LT Walton LB Jordan Zumwalt and Howard Jones DB Gerod Holliman .

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.