Alameda Ta’amu Claimed By Cardinals, Jonathan Dwyer Not Claimed At All

Aug 29, 2013; Charlotte, NC, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jonathan Dwyer (27) runs the ball against the Carolina Panthers during the first quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

As most of you already know, the Steelers trimmed their roster from 75 to 53 players on Friday afternoon.  During that process, Pittsburgh’s brass unloaded their leading rusher from last fall, Jonathan Dwyer, and their troubled but once highly-touted fourth round pick from the 2012 NFL Draft in the form of Alameda Ta’amu.  While it was not necessarily a shock to see the Steelers cut either player, it is not very often that a team discards their leading rusher from the previous season unless they are extremely displeased with him

Unlike Dwyer, Ta’amu never made it through the waiver wire after his release, and he  was claimed by the Arizona Cardinals according to Mike Wilkening of “Pro Football Talk.”  Dwyer on the other hand was not as fortunate as the young defensive tackle, and he went through waivers unclaimed according to Jason La Canfora of “CBS Sports.”

I cannot say I blame other teams from passing on him though.  For a guy with hardly any speed and some ball-security issues which he put on display during the preseason, I think that it’s safe to say that teams around the league were not as keen to claim him immediately following his release.  Plus, I think Dwyer did nothing to increase his value when one looks at the group of hobbled and “specialty only” backs who were kept on Pittsburgh’s roster instead of him.

Stats & Info. Provided By: ESPN.com, Steelers.com and Pro Football Reference

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