After the first preseason game of the season, these four Steelers find themselves tumbling down the depth chart.
While there is still a long way to go before the Steelers open their regular season, the first preseason game and subsequent practices have been pretty telling as to what players are shining and which are faltering. Some players that were expected to be contributors have now found themselves in an unlikely position to even make the roster. Here are the four Steelers tumbling down depth charts after the team’s first preseason games.
Steelers Jordan Berry
One of the hottest training camp battles at the beginning of the year was the punter battle unfolding. After the team spent a seventh-round pick on punter Pressley Harvin, the heat was on between him and incumbent Jordan Berry. While Harvin has the superior leg, Berry is far more consistent and has been a steady presence on the team’s roster. Both were reportedly showing out at camp, but the Hall of Fame game certainly seems to tell a different tale.
Harvin was one of the biggest winners in the team’s first preseason game. While punting isn’t a glamorous thing, he was consistently pinning the Cowboys deep in their own territory. He showed great placement (something he wasn’t known for in college) and displayed the powerful leg everyone knew he had. While Berry will get a chance to play in the preseason in the future, Harvin has a clear advantage now, and unless he falls apart, the job seems to securely be Harvin’s.
Steelers Arthur Maulet
To be clear, there was no guarantee that Arthur Maulet was going to make the roster despite being a veteran addition during the offseason. That said, he has some starting experience and has played the majority of his defensive snaps in the slot. Considering the wide-open competition that is set to occur at the slot cornerback position, Maulet was an early favorite to land the job.
While his debut in the Hall of Fame game wasn’t great, it certainly wasn’t bad enough to take him completely out of the slot competition. That said, some young options are showing up that are proving to be better options at this point. Antoine Brooks looked great in run defense in the slot while Shakur Brown and Lamont Wade also flashed both on defense and special teams.
At this point, Maulet could easily find himself cut by the time the end of the preseason rolls around. Maulet did himself no favors in this first game, and if he wants to have a shot at making the roster he needs to play more like a veteran. At this point, I would put him behind both Brown and Wade for the slot role. If he doesn’t improve his play, he could easily find himself looking for a new team sooner than later.
Steelers Justin Layne
Another corner on the losers list from the Hall of Fame game was Justin Layne. The former third-round pick has struggled heavily since being drafted, but he had a chance to secure a pseudo starter role due to the departures at cornerback in the offseason. His camp had been pretty quiet so far, but the competition between both him and James Pierre certainly was favoring the latter.
Pierre showed up well during the first preseason game, but Layne was another story. He wasn’t horrible, but he was a step behind in coverage and definitely didn’t look like he was ready to start. The improvements that were needed clearly weren’t there this offseason. He could still serve as a special team’s player, but even that role isn’t promised to him at this point.
Both Mark Gilbert and Stephen Denmark showed up on defense during that first game. They both had some key pass breakups and held their own in coverage. Brown showed up on special teams as well, indicating that Layne may not have much of a spot on the depth chart. Layne has the draft pedigree, but he has failed to live up to expectations. At this point, he seems like he is on the outside looking in terms of a roster spot.
Steelers Benny Snell
Training camp and the Hall of Fame game have not been kind to Benny Snell. The third-year back entered camp as the lead backup candidate, but his spot was far from secure due to Kalen Ballage having a similar skillset. He didn’t play in the first preseason game, and it may have been more of a detriment to him than one could have imagined.
Najee Harris was as billed, finding the tough yards despite the line doing him few favors. Worse yet for Snell, Ballage looked as billed during the first game. He was great in short-yardage and picked up the first touchdown of the game. Considering Harris will handle the bulk of the carries, being efficient in a short-yardage capacity is a must. Ballage did that, and he flashed some explosive short-yardage athleticism.
While there is still a good deal of time before cuts are made, Snell has lost a lot of ground recently. As of now, his best bet to make the roster is for the Steelers to keep four backs. That seems unlikely given the investment the team made in Harris. The team has experience with Snell, but one has to wonder what his standing with the team is at this point in the training camp process.
While there are still a few weeks before cuts will have to be made, some players appear to be falling down depth charts. These four Steelers are currently falling down the depth chart given the state of the rest of the roster. They need to excel for the remainder of camp if they want to have a shot at making the final roster.