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Roster battles will heat up for Steelers during OTAs

by
S Dean
May 20, 2015

tajh-boyd-landry-jones

On May 26, the Pittsburgh Steelers will begin their offseason training activities (OTAs). Although training camp is still several weeks out, the Steelers are close to their 90-man limit on their offseason roster. There are five positional roster battles that could shape up to be the spots to watch as the Steelers evaluate players they feel should be added not only to the training camp roster, but possibly the season roster.

Quarterbacks Tajh Boyd vs Landry Jones

Landry Jones was selected in the fourth-round of the 2013 NFL Draft out of Oklahoma but has done very little as a member of the Steelers’ roster since. While Ben Roethlisberger has remained healthy for the most part, it has been Bruce Gradkowski who has been solidly counted on to back ‘Big Ben’ up. Jones showed an inability to be very effective during preseason games and has yet to inject any youth into the position. The young man’s future is no guarantee as the Steelers brought in Tajh Boyd, last with the New York Jets, to challenge him. Boyd spent his 2014 season in the Fall Experimental Football League and is looking to renew his position in the NFL.

The Linebackers

The Steelers are once again deep at the linebacker position – both inside and outside – heading into OTAs in 2015. With veteran experience from James Harrison and Arthur Moats on the outside with Jarvis Jones and Bud Dupree, Pittsburgh has options with Lawrence Timmons, Vince Williams, Sean Spence, Ryan Shazier and Anthony Chickillo on the inside. With Jordan Zumwalt, Shawn Lemon, Terence Garvin and Howard Jones (reserve/futures) on the roster as well, it will be interesting to see just how many linebackers the Steelers hang onto.

It has already been made clear that Harrison will be limited in his snap-count this upcoming season, but his leadership qualities make him a valuable player to have next to some very young guys who can use development. Timmons has his position solidified after outstanding performances in 2013 and 2014 and gives the interior guys the incentive to play at the next level.

The pressure will be on Jarvis Jones and Ryan Shazier to demonstrate why they were chosen in the 2013 and 2014 NFL Draft. Both spent time nursing injuries and many feel both men have yet to show their true potential. Williams, Spence, Zumwalt and Garvin would love to keep their spot solidified, but will likely be the guys on the bubble for the most competition to do so with Lemon, Jones and Chickillo looking to prove their own worth.

Blanchflower, Johnson and James

The number three tight end position is truly up for grabs, and at this point it is going to be an uphill battle for Rob Blanchflower and 2015 fifth-round selection Jesse James to unseat Will Johnson who has also been used at the H-Back position and tight end. Blanchflower spent part of the 2014 NFL Season with the Steelers on the scout team. Where James has an advantage is in his size. Cameron Clear will also be in the mix.

Heath Miller and Matt Spaeth are the veteran guys that aren’t likely to give up their spot barring injury. The third tight end spot may be one of the more hotly contested areas at camp as the Steelers look for their replacements.

The offensive line

The Steelers aren’t worrying about who is going to be seated in the starting positions along their offensive line. Pittsburgh did a nice job of bringing in depth via free agency and undrafted rookie agents to compete for backup roles. This is one of the deepest groups that will attend OTAs and camps for the Steelers this offseason. Offensive tackle Mike Adams may be in a vulnerable spot after being called out for slow feet and not finishing blocks, but he did improve his play in 2014. That leaves Cody Wallace and Chris Hubbard competing with Kevin Whimpey, Miles Dieffenbach, Reese Dismukes, B.J. Finney, Collin Rahrig and Micah Hatchie. The focus will be on consistency and the ability to move into a role immediately should one of the starters be ineffective or unable to play.

Replacing Polamalu

As it stands today, the Steelers have veteran Will Allen, Shamarko Thomas, Jordan Dangerfield, Alden Darby, Robert Golden, Gerod Holliman, Mike Mitchell, Isaiah Lewis, Ross Ventrone and Ian Wild on the roster at safety. The biggest issue that must be ironed out during OTAs and camp will be who will step up and fill the shoes of the departed Troy Polamalu. Not one of the names mentioned above equates to the style or aggressive play that Polamalu embodied, making this a critical battle for roster spots. It is likely that the Steelers will keep four to five safeties on their roster. The early favorites are Allen, Thomas, Mitchell and Ventrone – but that is always up for debate. Mitchell did not have a spectacular outing in 2014 and Thomas has yet to prove that he is ‘starter’ material. That leaves this battle wide open.

Final Thoughts

While it may not be an area where a ton of focus from fans will be, the wide receiver position continues to be intriguing. The Steelers have brought in several receivers making the question of whether Antonio Brown had intentions to holdout or not even more relevant. The Steelers will have their requisite four wideouts, but who will they hang onto for special teams and the scout team? Who will step up and challenge starters Brown, Wheaton and Bryant?

The running back position should be interesting as the number two spot will be up for grabs as well.

The Steelers’ Roster (as of May 20, 2015)

76	Adams, Mike	OT	6-7	323	25	4	Ohio State
28	Allen, Cortez	CB	6-1	196	26	5	The Citadel
20	Allen, Will	S	6-1	200	32	12	Ohio State
13	Archer, Dri	WR/RB	5-8	173	23	2	Kent State
68	Beachum, Kelvin	T/G	6-3	303	25	4	SMU
26	Bell, Le’Veon	RB	6-1	244	23	3	Michigan State
4	Berry, Jordan	P	6-5	210	24	1	Eastern Kentucky
41	Blake, Antwon	CB	5-9	198	24	4	Texas-El Paso
87	Blanchflower, Rob	TE	6-4	256	24	1	Massachusetts
2	Boyd, Tajh	QB	6-1	222	24	1	Clemson
84	Brown, Antonio	WR	5-10	186	26	6	Central Michigan
10	Bryant, Martavis	WR	6-4	211	23	2	Clemson
40	Chickillo, Anthony	LB	6-3	267	22	R	Miami (Fla.)
85	Clear, Cameron	TE	6-5	277	22	R	Texas A&M
14	Coates, Sammie	WR	6-1	212	22	R	Auburn
69	Conrath, Matt	DE	6-7	306	25	3	Virginia
42	Dangerfield, Jordan	S	5-11	200	24	1	Towson
33	Darby, Alden	S	5-10	192	22	1	Arizona State
67	Davis, Niko	DE	6-5	285	24	R	Liberty
66	DeCastro, David	G	6-5	316	25	4	Stanford
65	Dieffenbach, Miles	G	6-5	303	23	R	Penn State
61	Dismukes, Reese	G	6-3	296	22	R	Auburn
48	Dupree, Bud	LB	6-4	269	22	R	Kentucky
80	Egnew, Michael	TE	6-5	260	25	3	Missouri
67	Finney, B.J.	C	6-4	318	23	R	Kansas State
30	Fogg, Kevin	CB	5-10	185	24	1	Liberty
73	Foster, Ramon	G	6-6	325	29	7	Tennessee
	Gardner, Devin	WR	6-4	216		R	Michigan
57	Garvin, Terence	LB	6-3	221	24	3	West Virginia
22	Gay, William	CB	5-10	190	30	9	Louisville
96	Geathers, Clifton	DE	6-8	325	27	6	South Carolina
77	Gilbert, Marcus	T	6-6	330	27	5	Florida
21	Golden, Robert	S	5-11	202	24	4	Arizona
27	Golson, Senquez	CB	5-9	176	21	R	Mississippi
18	Goodwin, C.J.	WR	6-3	190	25	1	California University (PA)
5	Gradkowski, Bruce	QB	6-1	220	32	10	Toledo
24	Grant, Doran	CB	5-10	200	22	R	Ohio State
48	Green, Shayon	LB	6-1	255	23	1	Miami
25	Harris, Josh	RB	5-11	210	24	1	Wake Forest
92	Harrison, James	LB	6-0	242	37	13	Kent State
54	Hatchie, Micah	OT	6-5	306	23	R	Washington
79	Hemer, Ethan	DE	6-6	282	24	1	Wisconsin
88	Heyward-Bey, Darrius	WR	6-2	219	28	7	Maryland
97	Heyward, Cameron	DE	6-5	288	26	5	Ohio State
31	Holliman, Gerod	S	5-10	218	21	R	Louisville
74	Hubbard, Chris	G	6-4	286	24	2	UAB
81	James, Jesse	TE	6-7	261	20	R	Penn State
46	Johnson, Will	FB	6-2	238	26	4	West Virginia
44	Jones, Howard	LB	6-4	238	25	1	Shepherd
95	Jones, Jarvis	LB	6-2	245	25	3	Georgia
3	Jones, Landry	QB	6-3	221	26	3	Oklahoma
65	Kruger, Joe	DE	6-6	287	22	2	Utah
54	Lemon, Shawn	LB	6-2	250	26	1	Akron
37	Lewis, Isaiah	S	5-10	211	23	1	Michigan State
62	McCullers, Daniel	DT	6-7	352	22	2	Tennessee
90	McLendon, Steve	DT	6-4	320	29	6	Troy
83	Miller, Heath	TE	6-5	256	32	11	Virginia
23	Mitchell, Mike	S	6-0	210	27	7	Ohio
55	Moats, Arthur	LB	6-2	250	27	6	James Madison
16	Murphy, Tyler	WR	6-2	213	23	R	Boston College
45	Nix, Roosevelt	FB	5-11	260	23	1	Kent State
53	Pouncey, Maurkice	C	6-4	304	25	6	Florida
7	Roethlisberger, Ben	QB	6-5	241	33	12	Miami (Ohio)
17	Rogers, Eli	WR	5-10	180	22	R	Louisville
40	Scheuerman, Ross	RB	6-0	204	22	R	Lafayette (Pa.)
50	Shazier, Ryan	LB	6-1	237	22	2	Ohio State
89	Spaeth, Matt	TE	6-7	260	31	9	Minnesota
51	Spence, Sean	LB	5-11	231	24	4	Miami
30	Stingily, Cameron	RB	6-1	235		R	Northern Illinois
6	Suisham, Shaun	K	6-0	200	33	11	Bowling Green
93	Thomas, Cam	DT	6-4	330	28	6	North Carolina
29	Thomas, Shamarko	S	5-9	217	24	3	Syracuse
74	Thornton, Mike	DT	6-1	296		R	Georgia
94	Timmons, Lawrence	LB	6-1	234	29	9	Florida State
91	Tuitt, Stephon	DE	6-5	303	21	2	Notre Dame
64	Van Dyk, Mitchell	T	6-7	299	24	1	Portland State
35	Ventrone, Ross	S	5-8	195	28	3	Villanova
78	Villanueva, Alejandro	OT	6-9	277	26	1	Army
72	Wallace, Cody	C/G	6-4	300	30	6	Texas A&M
78	Walton, L.T.	DE	6-5	319	23	R	Central Michigan
60	Warren, Greg	LS	6-3	252	33	11	North Carolina
39	Webb, B.W.	CB	5-11	190	25	3	William & Mary
11	Wheaton, Markus	WR	5-11	182	24	3	Oregon State
71	Whimpey, Kevin	T	6-5	295	24	R	Utah State
38	Wild, Ian	S	6-0	205	25	1	Mercyhurst
34	Williams, DeAngelo	RB	5-9	215	32	10	Memphis
98	Williams, Vince	LB	6-1	250	25	3	Florida State
9	Wing, Brad	P	6-3	205	24	2	LSU
56	Zumwalt, Jordan	LB	6-4	235	23	2	UCLA

S Dean

S. Dean is a lifelong Pittsburgh sports fan. The former owner of 'The Beam in Pittsburgh', Dean has worked in the sports media field for several years. S. Dean graduated with a degree in physical therapy and sports medicine, has a minor in journalism and is a Mt. Lebanon, PA, native. His favorite Steelers players (all-time) are Jerome Bettis, Lynn Swann and Joey Porter. You can follow him on Twitter @NFLHotTopix and Google Plus. To see his full bio, please visit the Meet Our Staff page.

3 Comments

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DrGeorge

May 21, 2015 at 11:03 am

Devin Gardner (WR) is one of the more intriguing acquisition in this off-season. He played QB at Michigan, threw for over 6,000 yards, and runs well; he also played some WR in college. He could be a Hines Ward type of player, who would give the Steelers the ability to throw deep on the flanker reverse as Randall-El used to do and with his size he can block downfield.

Jarvis Jones has speed, but has been injured a lot and has shown little promise when healthy. He looks like the odd-man-out at LB. But Tomlin will be loathe to admit he erred in making Jones a #1 pick. Perhaps Jones can be utilized more effectively elsewhere. Zumwalt is the X-factor; the coaches were high on him before his injury.

On the O-line, Cody Wallace continues to be under-utilized. He backs up Pouncey at center, but when he plays, he outperforms Pouncey, especially since Pouncey’s knee injury. Wallace can also play OG. Wallace is a keeper. Adams and Gilbert, however, are both vulnerable; neither has lived up to expectations.

The Safety position is still a mess. The Safeties on this roster are adequate backups, but none of them would start on a top-tier team. Look for Colbert to make a veteran free agent acquisition at Safety before the season starts, probably when final roster cuts are made.

Finally, neither Boyd nor Landry Jones are NFL quality QBs. Boyd can do Michael Vick impressions on the practice squad, but is that reason enough to keep him? Colbert may very well pick up a veteran QB to give the Steelers reliable depth at this position. Given Ben R’s age and his history of concussions, we must have a 3rd QB who can run the offense.

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DaveB.

May 22, 2015 at 5:16 am

Agreed . The safety position is in total freefall and the players have alot more questions than answers . As far as Jarvis Jones is concerned , if he doesnt show marked improvement this season , then Colbert an Tomlin have some serious explaining to do . They spent a number one pick on this kid and if he doesnt make it , someone needs to be held accountable . It was obvious to all that this kid was undersized and he would have problems fighting off large offensive lineman , yet they drafted him anyway . 2015 is a huge year for him .

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