6 Steelers Who Will Be on the Roster Bubble in 2015

If it is the NFL offseason, that means it is time for the Pittsburgh Steelers to scrape and claw their way to salary-cap respectability. The Steelers are not shy about the fact that they are willing to pay their stars. This is evident by the salaries of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and wide receiver Antonio Brown.

But all that spending means there are always those guys. You know those guys. The ones Stealers Wheels sang about in “Stuck in the Middle with You.”

The Steelers are a very top-heavy squad. They rely heavily on the highest-paid players on the roster to really perform.

Those midtier guys are the interchangeable parts. If you are a player in the middle of the salary-cap scale and don’t have a huge dead-money number, sleep with one eye open because you are on the bubble.

Here are six players on the salary-cap bubble this offseason.

All cap data courtesy of overthecap.com.

Cam Thomas, Defensive Line

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

The hope when the Steelers signed defensive lineman Cam Thomas as a free agent last offseason was that he would provide a powerful player as part of the Steelers defensive line rotation. His size would allow him to anchor at the nose, but he had experience at defensive end in a 3-4 as well.

Instead, what they got was pretty much what he showed when he was with the San Diego Chargers: inconsistent play, lack of power at the point of attack and no real position where he could excel. Every week was going to be the week Thomas took off, but he just stayed grounded.

If the Steelers chose to cut Thomas, he’d leave $500,000 in dead money on the books, but he would offer $2 million in cap space. With Ethan Hemer waiting in the wings on the cheap, that $2 million could really help.

Steve McLendon, Defensive Line

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Defensive tackle Steve McLendon has been with the Steelers since signing as an undrafted free agent back in 2009. The Troy product found his way to the starting lineup when legendary nose tackle Casey Hampton moved on. Everyone is still waiting on the next Hampton.

It seems that since then, Pittsburgh has kept McLendon as the starter, but it has always felt like he was just keeping the seat warm for a new nose tackle. Can defensive tackle Daniel McCullers be that guy? He’s worth the risk. Cutting McClendon would provide $2.25 million in cap savings with only $558,000 in dead money.

Landry Jones, Quarterback

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Putting quarterback Landry Jones on this list has as much to do with his future in the NFL as any financial repercussions. Releasing Jones after June 1 would only give the Steelers $585,000 in salary-cap space, but that’s not the bigger issue. This guy has been stealing a salary from the franchise the past two seasons.

Every time he wanders out to the field in preseason, he gives no one reason to believe he has any future as a viable NFL quarterback. If keeping Jones on the roster means that this franchise isn’t going to look to the future at quarterback, then he has to go. With Bruce Gradkowski as the only viable backup quarterback on the roster, it is time to cut Jones loose, and try again with another rookie.

Lance Moore, Wide Receiver

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When the Steelers brought in wide receiver Lance Moore, it was presumably to add a veteran presence to a young group of wide receivers. After seeing wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery be Roethlisberger’s security blanket in 2013, things looked promising.

Unfortunately, the synergy between he and Roethlisberger never happened. Pair that with the emergence of wide receiver Martavis Bryant. With a potential cap savings of $1.5 million and only $332,000 in dead money, and Moore is an easy one.

Brett Keisel, Defensive End

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The Steelers were very fortunate that when they came calling, defensive end Brett Keisel was still sitting at home and not on a roster. While Keisel put up only minimal stats, you could see the positive impact he had on the roster when he was on the field. It’s hard not to want to see a guy like Keisel back.

However, releasing Keisel would mean $1.5 million back into the piggy bank for more players. Younger players. More athletic players. Really, this one could go either way, and it will depend heavily on how the Steelers choose to handle Thomas and McLendon.

Mike Mitchell, Safety

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I saved the very best for last. Safety Mike Mitchell came over from the Carolina Panthers to help ease the loss of safety Ryan Clark. Mitchell had everyone fooled. Mitchell has since been replaced by rookie Tre Boston, and the Steelers are stuck with him. Or are they?

Mitchell’s contract isn’t great, but if the Steelers designate him as a post-June 1 cut, the dead money is only $950,000 while the cap relief is $4 million. If Mitchell is on the bubble, I’ll be happy to pop it with a pin. Mitchell misses far too many plays for the money he makes, and if this defense is going to get better, free safety is just too important to have dead weight back there.