Behind the Steel Curtain
The NFL cutdown deadline is today. Teams have until 4 p.m. EST to reduce their rosters from 90 players to 53.
The Steelers, like the rest of the league, have gotten a head start on the process, having made two waves of cuts already.
However, the team still has a number of moves to go before the roster is cut down to 53. And one of the hardest position battles to predict is along the defensive line.
At the time of this writing, the Steelers currently have 10 players listed at defensive line on their roster:
In my Aug. 20 roster prediction for Steelers Read & React, I predicted that six would make the regular season roster: Heyward, Benton, Harmon, Black, Loudermilk, and Otomewo.
But now, with Harmon injured and expected to miss at least one game (but likely avoid short-term injured reserve), I think the Steelers will keep seven at the position instead — a number they’ve gone with in years past anyway.
Updating my roster prediction, I’ll add Daniel Ekuale to the season-opening 53. He played plenty of snaps with the second-team defense during the preseason, and with 57 career starts (16 last year), he has the experience to help fill in during Harmon’s absence.
By adding an extra D-lineman, a player has to be subtracted from a different position group. In this case, it could be bad news for a roster bubble defender such as Beanie Bishop Jr., who barely made my predicted roster on Wednesday.
Soon, predictions will give way to the real thing. NFL teams will have their 53-man teams announced later today, even if roster stays fluid the entire year.
What are your thoughts on the Steelers’ D-line situation? How many will they keep? Join the BTSC community and let us know your thoughts in the comments!
