5 Steelers who should be shaking in their boots after the recent roster purge
These players could be next to lose their jobs.
The new league year hasn't even started yet and the Steelers are already making moves. It was announced recently that they had made three roster moves that saw notable players get cut. This is nothing out of the ordinary in the NFL, but it was kind of shocking how quickly the Steelers handled these situations. On one hand, it does give them a jump start on free agency, but it also shows the urgency to move on.
Pittsburgh let go Mitch Trubisky, Chuks Okorafor, and Pressley Harvin III. Those are three players who had significant roles on the club last season. Both Trubisky and Okorafor were cap casualties after their roles diminished as the season rolled on. Harvin failed to be a competent punter for the black and gold, so his time with the club ran its course.
Nate Herbig might be next up on the Steelers cap casualty list
One name that has not been brought up enough in terms of getting the boot is Nate Herbig. We know that Mike Tomlin loves to collect brothers on his team like baseball cards, but it might not be worth the cost here. The move made sense last offseason when the Steelers signed Herbig in free agency to a short-term deal. They followed that up by signing Isaac Seumalo to start and made Herbig a depth piece.
After the Steeler's initial moves were completed, the club still needs to shed another three million bucks to get under the cap ceiling. Herbig is a perfect option to get into cap compliance as cutting him would save four million dollars. It is hard to rationalize him making that much money as a depth option on the team.
It looks like the Steelers might draft a center in the upcoming NFL Draft, and that would make Herbig expendable. His four million in savings might be too attractive for the black and gold to pass on. He played ok when called upon this year, but his versatility to fill in at center didn't work out well. It would be almost careless to bring both Herbig and Mason Cole back.
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