GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The Steelers have played their second preseason game and broken training camp at Saint Vincent College. That means they're rounding second and the third base coach is waving them home.
NFL teams have until Sept. 1 to trim their rosters to 53 players in advance of Week 1 of the NFL's regular season. But let's be honest, many of the cuts could be made now and nobody would blink an eye. In fact, the coaching staff might actually like it. The coaches then wouldn't have to be concerned about working with guys who have absolutely no chance of making this team.
This marks a good time to start looking at how this roster is taking shape and what it could look like when the real cuts are finally made. So, here's my 53-man roster as things now look:
Quarterbacks (3): Ben Roethlisberger, Landry Jones, Mason Rudolph
I like Josh Dobbs. And he's been much better this year than he was last preseason. In an ideal world, the Steelers would figure out a way to keep him on the roster along with the other three. But this isn't an ideal world, and it's pretty unlikely the Steelers keep four quarterbacks.
One thing I have really liked about Dobbs' improvement this season is that he's been willing to use his legs more, even though he's running the same offense as everyone else.
"We have some designed (run) plays and some non-designed plays where if I see certain coverages, you know they might have a soft spot, so if see that, I look at my man read and if he's not open, I run," said Dobbs. "There's some stuff in there that is designed for me. There's some other things that if no one is open, let's go make a play and get us some yardage."
The expectation will be for Rudolph to make a similar jump in 2019. He was never going to be Roethlisberger's backup this year. That job was going to be Jones' regardless.
But Jones will be a free agent at the end of this season. If the team lets Dobbs go, I could see it bringing Jones back in 2019 and allowing he and Rudolph to have an open competition for the No. 2 spot.
Otherwise, the Steelers will need an injury to happen for all four to be around this season.
Running backs (5): Le'Veon Bell, James Conner, Stevan Ridley, Jaylen Samuels, Roosevelt Nix
The coaching staff loves Fitzgerald Toussaint. And he's played reasonably well this preseason. He is also a good special teams performer -- returning kicks aside. But Ridley is a better back. And Nix is excellent on special teams and the team's lone fullback, Conner also can play special teams and Samuels is a better overall back.
It's a tough call because, again, the coaching staff loves Toussaint. And he's not a bad football player. But he's not one of the top five backs on this roster -- though Ridley needs to get back on the field or that could change.
Wide receivers (6): Antonio Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Washington, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Justin Hunter, Marcus Tucker
I love Damoun Patterson's potential. And he's a great story. But watch this interception by Dobbs at the start of the second half against the Packers:
He gives up on the ball, doesn't come back to fight for it. And then simply watches as the defensive back runs down the sideline with it. You'd rather he take a pass interference penalty on that rather than simply giving up, which is what it appears he does. That's not going to get him any kudos from the coaching staff. He's got talent, but I would say he needs practice squad time right now, not time on the active roster.
Tucker, on the other hand, has become a special teams demon. He had two more tackles on teams against the Packers. This guy really wants it. There's no way he can be cut right now.
Waiting in the wings is Eli Rogers. He can open the regular season on the PUP List. That will give the Steelers six weeks to decide if the other guys will be OK, or if they need to make a change.
Tight ends (3): Vance McDonald, Jesse James, Xavier Grimble
No real changes here. It's a shame Jake McGee got hurt in OTAs because he would have had a shot to push into the conversation here. But this isn't a bad group -- assuming McDonald can get/stay healthy. His issue is plantar fasciitis, which is painful but not something that should hinder him in the regular season.
It's going to be interesting to see what the Steelers do with the practice squad. Bucky Hodges was added a week into camp and has some promise. And the team also can keep Christian Scotland-Williamson all season without him counting against the roster or practice squad.
Offensive line (9): Alejandro Villanueva, Marcus Gilbert, Chukes Okorafor, Jake Rodgers, David DeCastro, Ramon Foster, B.J. Finney, Matt Feiler, Maurkice Pouncey
This is pretty straightforward with the exception of Jake Rodgers. He's not bad but that doesn't mean the team won't still keep an eye open for a veteran who gets cut loose or becomes available via trade.
Feiler is quickly working his way up to being a valuable member of this group. He can play four of the five spots, with left tackle being the lone exception.
Defensive line (6): Cam Heyward, Stephon Tuitt, Javon Hargrave, Tyson Alualu, L.T. Walton, Daniel McCullers
No changes from last year, with the exception that McCullers is starting to look like he could actually be a contributor in some form or fashion. In fact, he actually started against the Packers, with Hargrave on the bench. This isn't a situation where McCullers has surpassed Hargrave, but the coaching staff wants to take a good look at him. And to his credit, he's looked much more motivated than in previous years. Maybe McCullers just didn't take to John Mitchell's drill sergeant-type coaching style.
Outside linebacker (5): T.J. Watt, Bud Dupree, Anthony Chickillo, Keion Adams, Ola Adeniyi
It's tough to cut Farrington Huguenin. He might never be a starter, but he certainly has the look of a guy who can play in this league a long time. But this comes down to numbers.
And Adams and Adeniyi have more potential upside and have played well in the preseason. Huguenin spent all of last year on the practice squad and could likely do the same again this year.
But it's a tough cut.
Inside linebacker (4): Vince Williams, Jon Bostic, L.J. Fort, Matthew Thomas
Sorry, Tyler Matakevich, I'm just not seeing it. He's a good guy and a smart player. Twenty years ago, he would be a 10-year veteran in this league, just like his position coach, Jerry Olsavsky. But in today's NFL you have to be able to cover. And that's just not something of which he's capable. He knows where he should be. He just can't get there.
Special teams coach Danny Smith won't like not having Matakevich, a core special-teamer, around, which is why this probably won't happen. But he can't play in the defense.
Fort and Thomas, meanwhile, were made to play in today's pass-happy league.
This is another spot where the team could add a guy, though finding a capable veteran via free agency or trade could be tough.
Defensive back (9): Joe Haden, Artie Burns, Mike Hilton, Cameron Sutton, Coty Sensabaugh, Brian Allen, Morgan Burnett, Sean Davis, Terrell Edmunds
Hilton and Sutton can also play safety. Edmunds can do a little bit of everything. Burnett can play some linebacker. It's an interesting and deep group, the poor game against Green Bay notwithstanding.
Marcus Allen has to get on the field. The fifth-round pick has missed a decent amount of time at training camp and in the preseason. And Jordan Dangerfield is probably a better player right now. He doesn't make this roster as currently constructed. But that could change if Sensabaugh is traded or something else happens.
Specialists (3): Chris Boswell, Jordan Berry, Kameron Canaday
Berry didn't have a strong game against the Packers. But he's in no danger of being beaten out by Matt Wile.
