3 best (and 2 worst) moves the Steelers made on cutdown day

Steelers worst move #2: Keeping Braden Mann

This was one of the more puzzling occurrences from roster cutdowns. The Steelers trimmed their team down and even announced the initial roster which included both punters. No team keeps two punters on their active roster, so something was up.

Speculation quickly swirled that another trade was in the works. Philadelphia was a natural target, as they were without a punter initially after they made their respective cuts. I was skeptical, as most trades occur before cuts. I thought there was a chance that one of the punters was heading to injured reserve, as they would be eligible to return after making the initial roster.

Ultimately, it was none of that. Mann was released the next day to make room for a new face, and it still leaves the unanswered question of why he was initially kept. Worse yet, keeping him meant the team had to lose someone else. The Tanner Muse release was a surprise, and I have to wonder if there was a plan to bring him back after the Mann ordeal was settled.

Honestly, this is more confusing than damaging. There seemingly was no reason for the Steelers to keep him around on the initial roster, and it likely cost a player with a future here the chances of sticking around. No, it isn’t the end of the world, but hanging onto Mann was one of the weirdest moves the Steelers ended up making.