6 backend roster Steelers to watch during Hall of Fame game

Steelers Mark Gilbert

Mark Gilbert makes this list for an entirely other reason than just him purely needing to play well in the Hall of Fame Game. While a strong showing would be great for him, he, more importantly, needs to show that he is healthy finally and that the injuries he was plagued with in college won’t have any long-term ramifications on his athletic ability. He doesn’t need to be a perfect player; he just needs to show that he can still play despite the multitude of injures he has suffered.

A strong showing certainly wouldn’t hurt Gilbert though, as his play in camp hasn’t been noteworthy so far. Rookies like Tre Norwood, Shakur Brown, and Lamont Wade have popped up on the stat sheet with an interception, and his most noteworthy contributions have been some of the run stops he has been a part of. All in all, it has been a very quiet camp for Gilbert.

If Gilbert can show some of the coverage ability he had at Duke in the Hall of Fame Game, it would go a long way in securing a spot on the team in some sort of capacity (most likely the practice squad). More important though is his athleticism. He needs to be able to backpedal and move in space well despite the numerous injuries he has suffered. If he can’t do that, his time with the team will likely end sooner rather than later.