The Pittsburgh Steelers trimmed their roster down to 53 yesterday and will now prepare to open to the season against the New England Patriots Thursday night. Let’s take a look at the offensive side of the ball and evaluate the players by position.
Quarterbacks (3): Ben Roethlisberger, Michael Vick, Landry Jones
Roethlisberger is coming off a career year where he just missed surpassing the 5,000 yard plateau through the air and looks to be hitting his prime at 33. Although he has clearly found a comfort level running Todd Haley’s offense, can he carry the load with Le’Veon Bell, Martavis Bryant and Maurkice Pouncey all missing to start the season?
Vick gives the Steelers a quality backup who have proven capable as a reserve during his time in Philadelphia and New York. In terms of a short-term replacement, you could do a lot worse than Vick, but make no mistake, if the Steelers need to rely on the 35-year old for a long stretch it could be a long year.
Jones will be inactive as the third string quarterback and likely nothing more.
Running Backs (6): Le’Veon Bell, DeAngelo Williams, Jordan Todman, Dri Archer, Will Johnson, Roosevelt Nix
Bell’s two-game suspension is a huge loss for the Steelers. Arguably the best two-way back in the NFL, Bell should be primed for another All-Pro caliber season once he is back.
The Steelers will head to Foxboro with the 32-year old Williams as their starting tailback. Needless to say, asking a older back who spent much of last season injured to carry the load is risky–but when healthy, Williams looks like a veteran back that can help provide depth for Bell.
Todman, who was added to the active roster earlier this afternoon, will make the Steelers his fourth NFL team after being released by the Carolina Panthers. Todman spent three seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars and had moderate success as a reserve and will likely play a similar role with the Steelers backing up Bell and Williams. Todman had a five-carry, 72-yard performance at Heinz Field on Thursday night, highlighted by an impressive 49-yard touchdown run.
Archer heads into his second season with plenty of question marks. Although there was some improvement in camp, it’s still yet to be seen if Archer can help the Steelers in the regular season. What we do know is the team will be looking for immediate help as a kick returner and that might be crucial to Archer keeping a job.
Johnson is a very capable fullback who can block well and has shown flashes as a pass catcher. It will be interesting to see how big of a role Johnson plays as a possible H-back. Nix earned a roster spot with a tremendous showing in camp. Not a lock to be active on game days, any contributions will likely be limited to special teams.
Wide Receiver (6): Antonio Brown, Markus Wheaton, Martavis Bryant, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Sammie Coates, Tyler Murphy
Few receivers have put together back to back seasons like Brown in NFL history and he’s been virtually un-coverable over that span. There’s no reason not to believe Brown won’t be one of the best at any position once again in 2015.
Wheaton might be as important as any player on offense not named Roethlisberger to begin the season. With Brown commanding so much attention from opponents and Martavis Bryant suspended the first four games, Wheaton is going to have plenty of opportunities to make an impact as the Steelers second option in the passing game. If he can come through early, he could be a savior for a Steeler offense without Bryant and Bell.
After dazzling as a rookie and having a strong camp this summer, the suspension of Bryant for a second failed drug test is a major disappointment, and could not come at a worse time. The hope is Bryant will return week five and provide a major boost to the passing game.
Heyward-Bey comes off a 2014 season where he caught three passes and played primarily on special teams. That won’t be the case early on, as he will be asked to fill in for Bryant as the Steelers third receiver for the first four games. Heyward-Bey has the size and speed to make an impact, but the veteran has struggled to find consistency much of his career.
Third-round pick Sammie Coates showed some promising flashes in camp, and though he has plenty of potential, Coates will need to be more consistent catching the ball and running more polished routes. It’s possible Coates might see some action as the season progresses, but look more towards 2016 for him to make an impact.
Murphy used a strong training camp to grab a roster spot. When Bryant comes back in week five, it will be interesting to see if Murphy retains a valuable roster spot.
Tight end (3): Heath Miller, Matt Spaeth, Jesse James
Miller has been the model of consistent play for over a decade and the Steelers hope he can provide help both as a pass catcher and underrated blocker this season. Miller might be asked to play an even bigger role in the passing game early, and might be a sleeper to make a big impact as receiver.
Spaeth overcame health concerns in camp to win the backup role and will provide steady play mainly as a blocker in the Steeler offense.
James, a local product from Glassport who played at Penn State, fought through some tough moments in game settings to earn a roster spot. Has the look of a developmental player in 2015.
Offensive line (7): Maurkice Pouncey, David DeCastro, Ramon Foster, Marcus Gilbert, Kelvin Beachum, Cody Wallace, Alejandro Villanueva, Chris Hubbard
The status of Pouncey is still up in the air. What we know is he is likely going to be placed on the short-term IR, which will keep him out for the first eight games of the season bare minimum. If he is, don’t be surprised if recently cut Doug Legursky is brought back to provide depth.
With Pouncey out, the starting role at center goes to Cody Wallace. Time will tell if he is capable of filling the considerable void left with Pouncey’s leg injury.
David DeCastro and Ramon Foster are quality starting guards who will need to have strong (healthy) seasons to help make up for the loss of Pouncey.
Gilbert and Beachum will start at tackle once again this season. Gilbert has been an adequate right tackle but injuries and inconsistent play have made his contract extension look somewhat questionable. This is especially the case when you look at the consistent quality play of Beachum, who heads into his contract year as one of the more underrated left tackles in the league.
Alejandro Villanueva is not only a feel good story, he’s quickly developing into a offensive tackle that might be good enough to be a full-time starter down the road. Despite of little experience at the position, Villanueva provided enough evidence to earn the role of “swing tackle” this season.
Filling a similar role on the interior line is Hubbard. Despite of a rough camp and some lackluster performances in the preseason, Hubbard returns for his second season capable of filling in at center or either guard position.
