Steelers won roster cut downs this year, and it wasn’t close

The Steelers resigned two former players after they were cut, setting the team up for more success during the 2020 season

In the NFL, cut day is a time of pandemonium and roster turnover. A flood of potential players are cut and waived as teams look to claim roster able talents as well as set up their practice squads. The Steelers are typically quiet during this time, instead focusing on their own talent and trying to have as good of a roster from the players they watched during camp. Yet this recent cut-down day turned out to be an active one for the Steelers, and quite frankly, they absolutely won the day.

Now, the Steelers had a pretty solid roster entering camp which meant the team wasn’t active in bringing in new players. Cut down day came and went, and the team made two notable moves: claiming Joshua Dobbs and resigning Sean Davis. While both moves involve players who will likely only be backups, both showcase just how good the Steelers have it with Kevin Colbert at the helm.

The Steelers had received a draft pick for Dobbs

Starting off with Dobbs, the former fourth-round pick was traded last season to the Jaguars for a fifth-round pick. While he lasted the whole season on their roster, he eventually fell out of favor and was ultimately waived during final cuts. The Steelers were quick to claim him, meaning that they essentially got a free fifth-round pick from Dobbs. Even better, that pick was a part of the package that brought in Minkah Fitzpatrick.

Aside from the fact that the team got a free fifth for Dobbs, they now have an athletic QB who can help mimic Lamar Jackson in practice. Considering the damage, a player like Jackson can do, being able to practice against someone with a similar skill set is extremely helpful. Finally, Dobbs is set to be a free agent next offseason. While he isn’t guaranteed to get a big payday, teams do tend to pay decent money to backup QBs. If he is signed elsewhere and got the Steelers a comp pick in 2022, it would be the icing on the cake for a successful string of transactions.

The Steelers could get a comp pick from Davis next year

While the Dobbs signing is nice from a value standpoint, the team resigning Davis could be a great move for the defense in terms of talent. Davis was an average starter with the Steelers, but he was eventually phased out of the defense after he was injured. He signed a moderate contract with Washington during the offseason but was shown the door after he lost the FS starting battle. Now, he’ll be back with the Steelers for what is likely a minimum deal.

The value of having a backup like Davis is immense. Before him, the Steelers were likely going to rely on Curtis Riley to be the top backup. While he looked good in camp, he had some questionable tape that made him a risky option to be on the field. Now, Davis will be able to man that role, and given his talent, he will likely see an expanded role when the Steelers are in sub-packages. This will allow for the defense to be more creative and could lead to even better output from the unit than 2019.

On top of this, Davis being released may not affect the comp pick formula. If that is so, the Steelers will still receive a late-round pick because he initially signed with Washington even though he will play out the season with the team. The depth he provides as well as the potential draft pick, he will give makes his reunion perfect. Like Dobbs, Davis is set to be a free agent next year as well, meaning he could fetch the Steelers yet another comp pick in 2022.

The Steelers brought back two solid veterans after roster cutdowns. Considering the Steelers had already gained some form of draft compensation for each of the returning veterans, the team showed once again that they are one of the best ran teams in the NFL. While both Davis and Dobbs will provide good depth, the fact that the team added them after already getting additional resources from them makes their reunion all the sweeter.