Pittsburgh Steelers Roster 2013: Latest Cuts, Depth Charts and Analysis

The NFL enters the fourth week of the preseason, which means the regular season rapidly approaches. However, teams need to make a few tweaks to their rosters until that happens.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have spent the summer with up to 90 players on their roster, but that number must decrease to 53 before the season begins. This means decisions, both difficult and less so, must be made in the coming days. 

Here are the latest updates on the changes the Steelers have made to their roster and depth chart leading up to Week 1 of the regular season. 

53-Man Roster Cuts

The Pittsburgh Steelers have announced their final 22 roster cuts to reduce their ranks to 53 men. The players released are as follows:

• RB Jonathan Dwyer
• NT Alameda Ta'Amu
• CB Terry Hawthorne
• WR Justin Brown
• P Brian Moorman
• CB Josh Victorian
• LB Marshall McFadden
• TE Jamie McCoy
• WR Reggie Dunn
• OL Mike Golic, Jr.
• OL Joe Madsen
• OL Chris Hubbard
• DE Brian Arfelt
• LB Alan Baxter
• LB Terence Garvin
• CB Devin Smith
• WR Kashif Moore
• RB Alvester Alexander
• TE Nathan Overbay
• OT Joe Long
• LB Brian Rolle
• S Ross Ventrone

Steelers head of public relations, Burt Lauten, also announced the release of guard/center John Malecki. 

The Steelers announced the release of punter Drew Butler and cornerback Isaiah Green on Monday.

The Steelers also announced that tight end Heath Miller has been activated from the PUP list. 

Among the cuts, Dwyer's was the most surprising. Though Isaac Redman has already been pegged as the starting running back until rookie Le'Veon Bell returns from his foot injury, it seemed like both Redman and Dwyer would share time with Redman being a starter in name only.

Despite Dwyer leading the Steelers in rushing during the preseason and looking fitter and more explosive than in 2012, it appears the team prefers having La'Rod Stephens-Howling and Felix Jones as Redman's (and eventually, Bell's) backups this year. 

Ta'Amu's release wasn't too shocking—his legal issues stemming from last year combined with him being outplayed by Hebron Fangupo and Al Woods in the preseason made him expendable though he was Pittsburgh's fourth-round draft pick just a year ago.

Previewing and Analyzing the Practice Squad

The Pittsburgh Steelers have announced their eight-man practice squad to start the 2013 season. The players are as follows:

• OL Chris Hubbard
• OL Joe Long
• RB Alvester Alexander
• DE Brian Arnfelt
• LB Alan Baxter
• WR Kashif Moore
• DB David Smith
• WR Justin Brown

These young players are certainly among those thought to be perfect prospects for Pittsburgh's practice squad. The only notable absences are linebacker Marshall McFadden and cornerback Devin Smith who was thought to have had a better shot at sticking around than David Smith. 

With linebacker Terence Garvin promoted to the 53-man roster after tight end Matt Spaeth was placed on the injured reserve-recall list, Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that wide receiver Kashif Moore will take Garvin's practice squad spot.

Final Depth Chart

Here is what the Steelers' depth chart should look like headed into the first week of the regular season:

QB: Ben Roethlisberger, Bruce Gradkowski, Landry Jones

WR1: Emmanuel Sanders, Markus Wheaton

WR2: Antonio Brown, Jerricho Cotchery, Derek Moye

RB: Isaac Redman, Le'Veon Bell, La'Rod Stephens-Howling, Felix Jones

TE: David Johnson, David Paulson, Michael Palmer

FB: Will Johnson, David Johnson

LT: Mike Adams

LG: Ramon Foster, Guy Whimper

C: Maurkice Pouncey, Cody Wallace

RG: David DeCastro

RT: Marcus Gilbert, Kelvin Beachum

LDE: Ziggy Hood, Al Woods

NT: Steve McLendon, Hebron Fangupo

RDE: Brett Keisel, Cam Heyward

LOLB: LaMarr Woodley, Chris Carter

LILB: Larry Foote, Vince Williams

RILB: Lawrence Timmons, Kion Wilson, Terence Garvin

ROLB: Jason Worilds, Jarvis Jones

LCB: Cortez Allen, Curtis Brown

RCB: Ike Taylor, William Gay, Antwon Blake

FS: Ryan Clark, Robert Golden

SS: Troy Polamalu, DaMon Cromartie-Smith, Shamarko Thomas

P: Zoltan Mesko

K: Shaun Suisham

LS: Greg Warren

H: Drew Butler, Brian Moorman

KR: Emmanuel Sanders, La'Rod Stephens-Howling

PR: Antonio Brown, Markus Wheaton

According to Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, tight end Matt Spaeth has been put on injured reserve-recall, which means he can come back to the active roster after six weeks.

Starters and Injury Notes

Training-camp battles produced a few new faces who will be taking up starting jobs, while others were definitely not up for grabs. Here are the current Steelers starters as well as a roundup of their injured players.

Starters

QB: Ben Roethlisberger

RB: Isaac Redman*

WR1: Emmanuel Sanders

WR2: Antonio Brown

TE: Matt Spaeth*

FB: Will Johnson

LT: Mike Adams

LG: Ramon Foster

C: Maurkice Pouncey

RG: David DeCastro

RT: Marcus Gilbert

LDE: Ziggy Hood

NT: Steve McLendon

RDE: Brett Keisel

LOLB: LaMarr Woodley

LILB: Larry Foote

RILB: Lawrence Timmons

ROLB: Jason Worilds

LCB: Cortez Allen

FS: Ryan Clark

SS: Troy Polamalu

RCB: Ike Taylor

P: Drew Butler

K: Shaun Suisham

LS: Greg Warren

H: Drew Butler

KR: Emmanuel Sanders

PR: Antonio Brown

(* indicates injured)

Injury Notes

Presumed starting tight end Heath Miller could return to active duty sometime in September after a major knee injury at the end of the 2012 season. Current starter on the depth chart, Matt Spaeth, is also sidelined with a Lisfranc sprain in his foot, presently making second-year tight end David Paulson the starter.

Though listed as the starter on the depth chart, running back Isaac Redman has missed two preseason games with a stinger in his neck. He should be ready for the regular season. 

Rookie running back Le'Veon Bell also has a foot injury and is expected to miss at least the first month of regular-season action.

Rookie linebacker Jarvis Jones was taken to the hospital after a hard hit in the team's third preseason game, but it was only a precautionary move. The Steelers believe he has a bruised chest or sternum. There is no indication whether he'll miss time or how much.

First Round of Roster Cuts

Though teams have until 4:00 p.m. ET to announce their first round of roster cuts, which must take the team down to 75 players, the Steelers have already made the moves. Here's a list of who the Steelers have released from the roster, according to their official announcement at Steelers.com.

• OT D'Anthony Batiste
• RB Baron Batch
• OT Mike Farrell
• WR David Gilreath
• WR Tyler Shaw
• CB Ryan Steed
• LB Stevenson Sylvester
• TE Peter Tuitupou
• QB John Parker Wilson
• WR J.D. Woods
• RB Jeremy Wright

Additionally, the Steelers have put second-year linebacker Sean Spence on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list, and guard Justin Cheadle and cornerback DeMarcus Van Dyke have been waived/injured. Rookie defensive end Nick Williams is on the team's injured reserve list.

Among the cuts, only two are surprises: Running back Baron Batch and linebacker Stevenson Sylvester. However, with the Steelers bringing on another running back (Felix Jones) last week and apparently still having interest in keeping La'Rod Stephens-Howling on the roster, Batch became less of a priority.

With Sylvester, a combination of a disappointing showing in his time in Pittsburgh and an ankle injury he suffered in the preseason opener resulted in his release. 

Depth Chart Post 75-Man Roster Cuts and Previewing 53-Man Roster Cuts

Here's how the Steelers depth chart looks after their first round of roster cuts:

QB: Ben Roethlisberger, Bruce Gradkowski, Landry Jones

WR1: Emmanuel Sanders, Markus Wheaton, Justin Brown, Reggie Dunn

WR2: Antonio Brown, Jerricho Cotchery, Derek Moye, Kashif Moore

RB: Isaac Redman, Le'Veon Bell, Jonathan Dwyer, La'Rod Stephens-Howling, Felix Jones, Alvester Alexander

TE: Matt Spaeth, David Johnson, David Paulson, Jamie McCoy, Michael Palmer, Nathan Overbay

FB: Will Johnson, David Johnson

LT: Mike Adams, Joe Long

LG: Ramon Foster, Guy Whimper, Mike Golic, Jr.

C: Maurkice Pouncey, John Malecki, Joe Madsen

RG: David DeCastro, Chris Hubbard

RT: Marcus Gilbert, Kelvin Beachum

LDE: Ziggy Hood, Al Woods

NT: Steve McLendon, Hebron Fangupo, Alameda Ta'Amu

RDE: Brett Keisel, Cam Heyward, Brian Arnfelt

LOLB: LaMarr Woodley, Chris Carter, Alan Baxter

LILB: Larry Foote, Vince Williams, Brian Rolle

RILB: Lawrence Timmons, Marshall McFadden, Kion Wilson, Terence Garvin

ROLB: Jason Worilds, Jarvis Jones

LCB: Cortez Allen, Curtis Brown, Terry Hawthorne, Devin Smith

RCB: Ike Taylor, William Gay, Isaiah Green, Josh Victorian

FS: Ryan Clark, Robert Golden, Ross Ventrone

SS: Troy Polamalu, DaMon Cromartie-Smith, Shamarko Thomas

P: Drew Butler, Brian Moorman

K: Shaun Suisham

LS: Greg Warren

H: Drew Butler, Brian Moorman

KR: Emmanuel Sanders, La'Rod Stephens-Howling, Reggie Dunn

PR: Antonio Brown, Markus Wheaton, Reggie Dunn

Projected Cuts

More running backs could see themselves released by the Steelers later this week, with Alvester Alexander a likely candidate. Tight ends will also get whittled down, while the Steelers may find themselves with a difficult decision at wide receiver, with both Derek Moye and Reggie Dunn showing promise during the preseason.

On defense, we should expect a reduction of inside linebackers and cornerbacks. It's interesting to see how Hebron Fangupo's position as the team's No. 2 nose tackle affects the future of 2012 draft pick Alameda Ta'Amu. 

Free Agents the Steelers Have Signed or Are Rumored to Be Pursuing

Upon the release of guard/center John Malecki, the Steelers (via public relations director Burt Lauten) announced the signing of guard/center Cody Wallace, most recently of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Wallace takes Malecki's spot on the 53-man roster.

Fox Sports 1's Mike Garafalo reports that the Steelers will be signing free agent punter Zoltan Mesko, who was recently released by the New England Patriots. This will likely mean the end of Drew Butler.

The Steelers have announced the signing of cornerback Antwon Blake, formerly of the Jacksonville Jaguars.