Steelers roster: 3 players Pittsburgh must make room for on the final 53

EDGE Quincy Roche

If I had to make a prediction based on what I’ve seen so far in the pecking order at training camp and preseason, I think that it’s safe to say that Quincy Roche is on the outside looking in. While there’s certainly a case to be made for keeping a veteran with special teams ability like Cassius Marsh, I think Roche is worth reserving a roster spot for.

Quincy Roche isn’t the complete package. He’s not an elite athlete compared to other NFL edge defenders, and he has modest size. However, he has had a solid first training camp, and he just knows how to get after the quarterback. During his college days at Temple and Miami, he was one of the most productive pass rushers in the nation.

Former undrafted outside linebacker Jamir Jones has arguably had an even better preseason than Roche, but Quincy is still a better athlete with upside to carve out a role on defense as a pass rusher in the future and he has a very team-friendly rookie contract.

The Steelers are likely to only keep four players here, but I thought Quincy Roche was a solid prospect entering the NFL Draft, and I haven’t seen anything to suggest otherwise.

Some of these roster decisions are going to be very difficult for the Steelers to make prior to the start of the season. All NFL must go from 80 to 53 players by Tuesday, August 31st.