Preliminary 53 Man Roster

Preliminary 53 man roster

The Steelers have to cut down their roster to 53 by Saturday afternoon and they will make most of their roster cuts on Friday.

Here is a quick look at our preliminary 53 man roster leading into tonight's game. I have tried to based the projected on rumblings we're hearing, not how we feel the roster should be. Our final roster projection will be updated Friday morning.

The Steelers toughest decisions will come at Wide Receiver, Linebacker and at cornerback.

Quarterbacks (2) – Byron Leftwich, Dennis Dixon

Analysis: There have been strong indications for about a week now that the Steelers have been leaning in the direction of carrying only two quarterbacks to open the season. At first look it appeared to be the best move to give the Steelers position flexibility elsewhere for the first four weeks but now I'm not so sure. In the end though, I believe the team will release Charlie Batch.

Running backs (4) – Rashard Mendenhall, Mewelde Moore, Isaac Redman, Frank Summers.

Analysis: Jonathan Dwyer to the practice squad. Steelers like his potential but he has just too many mental mistakes. Summers is locked in the No. 4 spot and team loves his ability on special teams.

Wide receivers (6) – Hines Ward, Mike Wallace, Antwaan Randle El, Arnaz Battle, Emmanuel Sanders, Antonio Brown

Analysis: Ward, Wallace, and Randle El are locked in as the Steelers top 3 receivers. Sanders is a lock to make the team but the No. 4 receiver spot on gamedays is still undecided. Brown will make the team which gives the Steelers five. The final decision will come down to Arnaz Battle or Tyler Grisham. There's a belief that Grisham is the 4th best receiver on this team and he surprisingly remains in the mix. The Steelers though gave Battle a three year contract, signing bonus of $975,000 and has close ties to special teams coach Al Everest. The Steelers also claim Battle is extremely good on special teams coverage units but Battle has not had any kind of impact in the preseason. A strong case is being made for the 30 year old Battle not to make the team but all signs point towards him making it.

Tight ends (3) – Heath Miller, Matt Spaeth, David Johnson

Analysis: Those three are locked in at the position. There is no sleeper in the mix.