While these players were seen as roster locks earlier in the season, don’t be surprised if these three Steelers fail to make the roster.
The NFL preseason is a time for unknown players to make a name for themselves in hopes of carving out a role for themselves. The Steelers witnessed this in 2021 after names like Jamir Jones went from practice squad longshot to potential backup edge rusher.
Likewise, some players, once considered locks, have done so poorly that they are now facing the potential to be off this roster once the team makes their final cuts. Here are three Steelers that could shockingly not make the final roster.
Steelers OT Joe Haeg
The signing of Joe Haeg came as a subtle surprise. While the need for an offensive tackle was prevalent, his cost was a bit more than most expected. Entering camp, he seemed firmly entrenched as the swing tackle for the team, but the recent rise of Dan Moore has many questioning just what Haeg’s role with the team will be. Moore is arguably competing to be the starter, and with his play on both the right and left side of the line, he should at worst be the top swing tackle.
That would leave Haeg as the weekly inactive player. While he could certainly remain there and just serve as an emergency player for the team, he is making enough money to be a bad value in that role. The team could easily cut him and find a different tackle to keep on the roster and have inactive each week. If Moore truly has ascended to a potential starter, Haeg may end up being a surprise cut once the Steelers set their roster.
Steelers RB Benny Snell
By default, Benny Snell was at one point the Steelers starting running back. Obviously, he fell back to second string when the team drafted Najee Harris in the first, and the expectation was for him to stay there through the season with Anthony McFarland serving as the change of pace back. The rise of Kalen Ballage and the lack of time Snell ended up playing this season due to injury has really made his roster spot questionable at this point.
While the team could certainly carry four backs, it seems redundant based on the makeup of this group. Harris will take on the majority of work due to the heavy investment the team made in him. On top of that, Ballage is essentially the same style of back, which means carrying both of these backs would be, on paper, pointless.
Had Snell dominated in the final game perhaps the narrative would be different. He looked average though, and with Ballage outplaying him, it seems as though his time on the roster could be numbered. At this point, Snell’s best chance is for the Steelers to carry four running backs. He didn’t prove enough on his own though to make that a must so his odds seem poor. Perhaps the team can flip him for a late-round pick but don’t be surprised if Snell is off this roster come cut down day.
Steelers LB Robert Spillane
Of the names on this list, neither have had as far of a fall as Robert Spillane. Everyone knows his story at this point. He filled in well for Devin Bush last season before being injured. When he came back, he was ok, but not great, but he was the presumed starter at off-ball linebacker after Vince Williams retired. Unfortunately, camp has been an absolute disaster for Spillane, and his poor play may cause him to be off the roster entirely.
Reports came out early that Spillane wasn’t performing well. The hope was that he could turn it around in the actual preseason games, but he was regularly being exposed by other team’s backups. This cumulated into the team trading for Joe Schobert. Even then, Spillane was a decent backup and special team’s player before ascending on the defense, so the odds of him being the top backup looked good.
He was outplayed by rookie Buddy Johnson though on defense and Marcus Allen has taken on a larger role on special teams. Spillane could realistically be the last man on the depth chart. With the impressive play from the edge rushers, namely Quincy Roche and Jamir Jones, the team may opt to keep five at that position and only four in the inside. Had Spillane even performed averagely, this conversation wouldn’t be happening. His play was so bad in the preseason though that you have to question if he will be on this final roster.
These three players were all at one point seen as roster locks. Now, after players around them performed better than expected and they floundered, one has to wonder if they will even crack the final 53-man group. While anything is possible, don’t be surprised if these three Steelers fail to stick on the final roster after cut-down day.