Pre-Training Camp Roster Prediction

[MOSteelers56]

I was thinking about this today and trying to figure out how many players at each position the team might carry. I figured why not just start a thread about it. 

QB - Ben, Landry, Rudolph - 3
RB - Bell, Conner, Samuels - 3
FB - Nix - 1
WR - AB, JuJu, Washington, DHB, Tucker - 5
TE - Vance, James, Grimble - 3
OT - AV, Gilbert, Hawkins, Chuks - 4
OG - DD, Foster, Finney, Feiler - 4
OC - Pouncey - 1
Offense - 24

DE- Heyward, Tuitt, LT Walton, Alualu - 4
NT - Hargrave, Frazier - 2
OLB - Bud, Watt, Chick, Keion Adams - 4
ILB - Vince, Bostic, Dirty Red, Thomas - 4
CB - Artie, Haden, Sutton, Hilton, Brian Allen - 5
Safety - Burnett, Davis, Edmunds, Marcus Allen, Nat Berhe - 5
Defense - 24

P - Berry
K - Boswell
LS - Canaday or whatever his name is. 
ST - 3

I'm not sure who the other guys will be that make it. Maybe a 6th WR or CB? 

Any predictions?

[3rivers]

It's a tough prediction but I am rooting for Adeniyi to make the team and make some noise at oLB that we need.  Will foster make the team or be a cap casualty? They should keep the trusted vet/leader. 

[warfelg]

I wouldn’t be confident in 9 OL making the roster. Wouldn’t be shocked to see Hawkins cut and put on the PS and 4 RBs being on the squad early in the year. Feilers ability to play both OG and OT will play into that as well as Finneys ability to play OG and OC. 

[jebrick]

I think Marcus Allen makes it as a ST player.  On film, he is worst in coverage than any safety the Steelers fielded last season.

 

I do not remember Feiler ever working as a OG.   If they need to protect Chucks on the 53 then Feiler will be gone but Chucks will not be very functional as a OL this season.

[JLambert58]

2 hours ago, jebrick said:

I do not remember Feiler ever working as a OG.

Feiler did play some guard.  Mostly in Week 17 IIRC.  

[MOSteelers56]

I'm kind of wondering if they'll keep Toussaint or Ridley on the roster with Samuels. It would be a smarter move to keep another pure RB in case of emergency. 

[Steeler Hitman]

16 hours ago, MOSteelers56 said:

I was thinking about this today and trying to figure out how many players at each position the team might carry. I figured why not just start a thread about it. 

QB - Ben, Landry, Rudolph - 3 (Agree, I think Dobbs gets a free trip to the IR via mysterious Hammy or back injury)
RB - Bell, Conner, Samuels - 3 ( I liked how Ridley ran last year) - 4
FB - Nix - 1 (Agreed)
WR - AB, JuJu, Washington, DHB, Tucker - 5 (I think they keep 6. Justin Hunter makes it and Tucker/Henderson battle for #6)-6
TE - Vance, James, Grimble - 3 (Agreed)
OT - AV, Gilbert, Hawkins, Chuks - 4 (I think Hawkins is cut)-3
OG - DD, Foster, Finney, Feiler - 4 (Agreed, I love this kid Feiler)
OC - Pouncey - 1 (Agreed, but we really need a back-up here)
Offense - 24 (27)

DE- Heyward, Tuitt, LT Walton, Alualu - 4 (Agreed)
NT - Hargrave, Frazier - 2  (Agreed)
OLB - Bud, Watt, Chick, Keion Adams - 4 (Agreed)
ILB - Vince, Bostic, Dirty Red, Thomas - 4 (Agreed, but I take Adenyeni over Thomas)
CB - Artie, Haden, Sutton, Hilton, Brian Allen - 5 (Agreed)
Safety - Burnett, Davis, Edmunds, Marcus Allen, Nat Berhe - 4 (Berhe gets cut over Allen)
Defense - 24 (23)

P - Berry
K - Boswell
LS - Canaday or whatever his name is. 
ST - 3

I'm not sure who the other guys will be that make it. Maybe a 6th WR or CB? 

Any predictions?

That is my 53 man roster prediction without seeing any games or practice.

[Dcash4]

8 hours ago, MOSteelers56 said:

I'm kind of wondering if they'll keep Toussaint or Ridley on the roster with Samuels. It would be a smarter move to keep another pure RB in case of emergency. 

That's where I am currently. I think Samuels really has to show that he can be a running back first and foremost to feel comfortable keeping only Bell, Conner, and Samuels. As of right now, I would have Ridley on my 53, but there is a very strong chance he and Fitz are a phone call away from your roster during the season if cut. 

8 hours ago, Steeler Hitman said:

Safety - Burnett, Davis, Edmunds, Marcus Allen, Nat Berhe - 4 (Berhe gets cut over Allen)

I cant see Berhe getting cut. Rarely do the Steelers cut a player they signed in FA (if ever). He was brought in to be a special teamer in replacement of Golden and, unless he drops the ball completely, that will be his role on this team.

Not a lot of changes I would make to the original 53 at this point.  I would love to see Dobbs over Jones and see if we can pick up any sort of draft pick for Jones. Would like to see Tucker over Rogers, though I think it will be Eli once he is healthy. I think people are going to be too quick to cut Hawkins -- there is a great financial opportunity to cut Gilbert next year and possibly even Pouncey (though, for Ben's sake I wouldnt on the latter). Hawkins also had a pretty good showing as the 3rd tackle for us in games. 

ILB and OLB I think are still very much up in the air. I get the feeling this roster is not completed yet and we will see similar moves to last year once cut days get closer with the way the off-season works now. Not saying we find another Joe Haden, but I do think there will be contributors available for low round picks rather than a teams outright cut. 

[jebrick]

I am going to predict that Tevin Jones ( WR, Memphis) makes the team and DHB is cut.  This would mean that Marcus Allen would have to make the squad as a gunner.  Otherwise I see Allen as a PS player.  If they keep Allen I can see them keeping Malik Golden or Dangerfield because I would not trust Marcus Allen to cover my grill.

I can see Frazier as a PS player unless his shows a lot more than what he did in Bama. 

[Steeler Hitman]

On 5/18/2018 at 6:16 PM, Dcash4 said:

That's where I am currently. I think Samuels really has to show that he can be a running back first and foremost to feel comfortable keeping only Bell, Conner, and Samuels. As of right now, I would have Ridley on my 53, but there is a very strong chance he and Fitz are a phone call away from your roster during the season if cut. 

Like I said in previous posts, I like Ridley as a back-up. He looked good in limited action and could help spell Bell or even the running game by committee taking some snaps and keeping Bell fresh for later in the season. 

In all honesty, I do not know much about Samuel other than what I read: Great hands and a third down type of back or H-Back. I did not scout him or watch any film prior to the draft on hm.  They drafted him, so they must like what they see.  I would be shocked to see more than three RB;s. I have to believe that Bell and Connor (if healthy) are locks.  It comes down to Ridley or Samuels for the last spot.

I cant see Berhe getting cut. Rarely do the Steelers cut a player they signed in FA (if ever). He was brought in to be a special teamer in replacement of Golden and, unless he drops the ball completely, that will be his role on this team.

I would normally agree, but there are a lot of numbers at safety and a lot of investment in the position. Somebody will be left without a helmet and jersey.  They have kept 10 DB's in the past, but I think they will want to keep at least six DL's, eight ILB/OLB's and that would leave them with taking an OL or WR most likely.  Losing Martavis makes DHB and/or  Hunter valuable as a deep threat. Nothing against Berhe, I think that Allen gets the nod. We will see. I am not saying your wrong and I am right, just a hunch.

                  

Not a lot of changes I would make to the original 53 at this point.  I would love to see Dobbs over Jones and see if we can pick up any sort of draft pick for Jones.

That would be ideal, but hard for Dobbs to do.  As much as we all complain about Landry he is a decent back-up.  He is not a top 15 QB, but he knows our system and can do a few things. He has struggled at times, but he has also shown to be ale to keep us competitive.  We would need other players, special teams and defense to step up, make plays, create turnovers etc. I think Dobbs will compete, but I am just not that sure, he will make the jump ahead of Landry where the team would be comfortable gambling on him should (Lord help Us) something happened to Ben.

Would like to see Tucker over Rogers, though I think it will be Eli once he is healthy.

Tucker is an improving player who may steal a spot and surprise.  Henderson will be interesting in that mix as well.

I think people are going to be too quick to cut Hawkins -- there is a great financial opportunity to cut Gilbert next year and possibly even Pouncey (though, for Ben's sake I wouldn't on the latter). Hawkins also had a pretty good showing as the 3rd tackle for us in games. 

I don't think that Hawkins has looked good in games.  He struggled in the games I remember seeing hm play in (mainly pre-season). We have seen other players develop and seem to grow/improve while Hawkins has struggled at both tackle spots in his limited opportunities. I honestly believe that if they were confident in Hawkins, no way that Chucks gets drafted by us there. I could be wrong, but just my opinion.

When healthy, Gilbert is a top three RT in the entire league.  Our OL is much better when he plays compared to when he is out. We get a push in the OL and he protects Big Ben well against the better pass rushers and DE's. Being 30 or 31 is still young enough to have some good years. Hawkins certainly has not surpassed him.

ILB and OLB I think are still very much up in the air. I get the feeling this roster is not completed yet and we will see similar moves to last year once cut days get closer with the way the off-season works now. Not saying we find another Joe Haden, but I do think there will be contributors available for low round picks rather than a teams outright cut. 

I agree.  There will be June 1 cuts and training camp casualties that may raise an eyebrow and we try to sign at ILB or OLB. Timmons and Bowman are still there as well. 

[Alex]

Here's mine:

Offense: 25

QB: Roethlisberger, Landry, Rudolph (3)

RB: Bell, Connor, Samuels, Ridley (5)

FB: Nix

WR: Brown, Smith-Schuster, Washington, Tucker, Patterson, Hunter (6)

TE: James, McDonald, Grimble/FA pick-up (3)

OL: Villaneuva, Foster, Pouncey, DeCastro, Gilbert, Okorafor, Feiler, Finney (8)

Defense: 25

DL: Heyward, Hargrave, Tuitt, Alualu, Walton, Frazier (6)

OLB: Watt, Dupree, Chickillo, Adams (4)

ILB: Bostic, Williams, Matakevich, Thomas, Fort (5)

CB: Burn, Haden, Hilton, Sutton, B.Allen (5)

S: Burnett, Davis, Edmunds, M. Allen, Berhe (5)

Special Team: 3

K: Boswell (1)

P: Berry (1)

LS: Canaday (1)

Italic: Gameday inactive

Practice Squad (10)

Joshua Dobbs, QB

Jarvion Summers, RB

Quadree Henderson, WR

Pharoah McKever, TE

Jerald Hawkins, OT

Greg Gilmore, DE

Kendal Vickers, DE

Ola Adeniyi, OLB

Trey Johnson, CB

Jamar Summers, FS

So, here are my notes:

QB- Joshua Dobbs look like he will be an odd man out, that being said- I would like for him to play the most during the pre-season. Best scenario- he shows so much, he could gather a trade value. If he doesn't, nobody will pick him up. 

RB- Know what I don't get? People talking about how Samuels was a 5th round pick, hence the reason why he isn't a lock to be on the 53-man roster. If anything, NFL teams are a hypocrite, why is it that defensive players who played a swiss-knife role on the defensive side get so much of media reps? (J. Peppers and Su'a Cravens came to mind) and pegged down as first-second round prospects, Samuels, on the other hand, has everything you WANT out of a running back is pegged as a late round pick? I don't get it. At best, he'll be at the level of Brian Westbrook or better and at the worst, he's another copycat of Mewelde Moore and we all remembered how useful Moore was during the 4th quarters AND the play-off? I still do.

WR- I know everybody has Heyward-Bey pegged as a lock to make the team because of his role on the special team. That being said... Why? Would you rather keep a player who is decent on the special team and couldn't really do anything else? That's not a good way to keep your Super Bowl team going forward. I'm going to play by the golden rule, you should have a starter and backup at least for EACH position. We have James Washington with Justin Hunter backing him up at the flanker position (or Z as they claim that's what it is now). JuJu Smith-Schuster with Marcus Tucker backing him up (I had Marcus Tucker in because the uncertainty with the injury may keep Eli on the IR just so we can keep him around) for the slot position. Now, we have Antonio Brown and... Who else could be his back-up? The closest one that I can see is Damon Patterson who I am actually high on. Not only he's currently next to the closest player who can play the split-out role (X position) but he was one of college's best gunner. I figure you could get TWO roles in one player which is actually better than having just a decent special team player, that makes no sense. 

TE- Everybody is talking about getting an FA pickup for the defensive side, but nobody is talking about the offense. I expect us to get one more tight end that could be underrated signing or trade (Mercedes Lewis came to mind, as he isn't that athletic anymore but he'll definitely boost our red zone with his blocking that none of our other tight ends can, plus he'll be Nix's insurance in case Nix got hurt).

OL- Jerald Hawkins is heading for PS, no explanation needed.

DL- I really wanted to go with 7 defensive linemen, I just don't see that happening as Walton and Alualu both really can fill in the roles pretty well. I, however, do predict us keeping at least TWO on the practice squad.

LB- I probably hated this position analysis the most. I know the majority want us to go after a free agent for the linebacker position, I distress. Here's why; would ANY linebacker via the trade or free agency that you can think of makes our defense a better squad? Timmons and Bowman both wouldn't and they'll just cost us more. Our best defense is the offense and I fully expect it to be like that. 

EDIT: Gerald Hodges came to the mind. He could be the buck but why is he still unsigned? That's a red flag. 

DB- Not much of a change, but the question would be who gets to be the gameday inactive? My bet is Brian Allen, I don't see anyone of talents that could really beat out the 10 defensive backs we have.

That's all I got at the moment! Sorry for a really lengthy read ha

[Alex]

On 5/17/2018 at 4:25 PM, MOSteelers56 said:

I was thinking about this today and trying to figure out how many players at each position the team might carry. I figured why not just start a thread about it. 

QB - Ben, Landry, Rudolph - 3
RB - Bell, Conner, Samuels - 3
FB - Nix - 1
WR - AB, JuJu, Washington, DHB, Tucker - 5
TE - Vance, James, Grimble - 3
OT - AV, Gilbert, Hawkins, Chuks - 4
OG - DD, Foster, Finney, Feiler - 4
OC - Pouncey - 1
Offense - 24

DE- Heyward, Tuitt, LT Walton, Alualu - 4
NT - Hargrave, Frazier - 2
OLB - Bud, Watt, Chick, Keion Adams - 4
ILB - Vince, Bostic, Dirty Red, Thomas - 4
CB - Artie, Haden, Sutton, Hilton, Brian Allen - 5
Safety - Burnett, Davis, Edmunds, Marcus Allen, Nat Berhe - 5
Defense - 24

P - Berry
K - Boswell
LS - Canaday or whatever his name is. 
ST - 3

I'm not sure who the other guys will be that make it. Maybe a 6th WR or CB? 

Any predictions?

1

I'm seeing that you have 24, 24, and 3. That's 51 men. Not 53 men? Shouldn't it be either 25/25 or 24/26, vice versa?

[MOSteelers56]

18 hours ago, Alex said:

I'm seeing that you have 24, 24, and 3. That's 51 men. Not 53 men? Shouldn't it be either 25/25 or 24/26, vice versa?

Yeah I posted that on the bottom. I wasn’t sure who the other guys would be.