In yesterday’s training camp preview, we looked at training camp battles and a brief study of how the team has assembled its roster the last few seasons. Today, I’ll begin my attempts to determine what the roster will look like come Week One. We’ll update throughout training camp and note the changes made along the way. My guesses predictions of the year with notes to follow.
QB (3): Ben Roethlisberger, Bruce Gradkowski, Landry Jones
RB (4): Le’Veon Bell, Isaac Redman, LaRod Stephens-Howling, Baron Batch
FB (1): Will Johnson
TE (4): Heath Miller, Matt Spaeth, David Johnson, David Paulson
WR (5): Antonio Brown, Emmanuel Sanders, Markus Wheaton, Jerricho Cotchery, Plaxico Burress
OT (3): Marcus Gilbert, Mike Adams, Guy Whimper
OG (5): Ramon Foster, David DeCastro, Kelvin Beachum, John Malecki, Nik Embernate
C (1): Maurkice Pouncey
DE (4): Ziggy Hood, Brett Keisel, Cameron Heyward, Al Woods
NT (2): Steve McClendon, Alameda Ta’amu
OLB (4): Jason Worilds, Jarvis Jones, LaMarr Woodley, Adrian Robinson
ILB (4): Lawrence Timmons, Larry Foote, Vince Williams, Brian Rolle
CB (6): Ike Taylor, Cortez Allen, William Gay, Terry Hawthorne, DeMarcus Van Dyke, Josh Victorian
SS (2): Troy Polalmalu, Robert Golden
FS (2): Ryan Clark, Shamarko Thomas
K (1): Shaun Suisham
P (1): Brian Moorman
LS (1): Greg Warren
Notable players left off: Jonathan Dwyer, Chris Carter, Stevenson Sylvester, Curtis Brown, Drew Butler
– As I pointed out yesterday, I expect Dwyer to be cut. Redman is the more dominant short-yardage back and equally as apt in pass protection. Dwyer is sluggish and able to get only what is blocked. Even if he is a better runner than Baron Batch, Batch provides more special teams value.
– The team won’t keep four tight ends if Miller is healthy. But my gut says he won’t be ready for the start of the year. And of course, if he gets put on the PUP, it opens up another roster spot.
– Burress is penciled in as the #5 right now. Would not call his job secure but haven’t seen enough of the incoming group (Brown, Dunn, etc) to have one of them leapfrog Burress. Subject to change.
– The back end of the offensive line is tough to predict. Beachum is the only real lock as a backup. Everything else is up for grabs and that group is mostly comprised of rookies. Would not be shocked to see one of them grab a roster spot a la Doug Legursky or Ramon Foster. Embernate is that guy right now but it’s wide open (Joe Long, Mike Golic Jr others). Whimper struggled mightily last year but he is a veteran that can play both tackle spots. Good to have when you’re throwing a guy onto the field because of an injury.
– Linebacker may have been the most difficult to fill out. Depth is not something to be excited about. Sylvester wasn’t even tendered before the team brought him back, now at OLB. Chris Carter has been a bust to this point and has shown nothing to change that notion. I’m assuming Sean Spence will end up on IR or at best, the PUP. Could see lots of moving and shaking here.
– Left rookies Justin Brown and Nick Williams off the roster. Good bet they end up on the practice squad, especially the raw Williams.
