5 interesting decisions on Steelers initial 53-man depth chart
By Tommy Jaggi
Steelers C: J.C. Hassenauer over Kendrick Green
The Pittsburgh Steelers have given no inclination that J.C. Hassenauer will be their starting center to begin the 2021 season, yet here we are. On their first depth chart following the team’s cutdowns to their 53-man roster, Hassenauer is listed ahead of rookie Kendrick Green.
During training camp and the preseason this year, we have seen just the opposite. A few weeks into training camp, Green was taking almost exclusively snaps with the first-team offense. Unfortunately, things haven’t exactly gone smoothly for Green so far.
After being continuously bullied by Tyson Alualu during one-on-ones at training camp practices, Green was manhandled by stronger defensive linemen in pass sets during the preseason. On a few occasions, he could be seen getting walked back into the quarterback. This is an area Green must improve in.
Even with his struggles, it seemed like Green was the clear choice to start all along. Perhaps we are reading too deeply into this and the Steelers are just trying to humble the rookie, but it’s interesting that Hassenauer is listed ahead of Green on the depth chart after cutdowns.