Pittsburgh Steelers Veterans in Danger of Losing Roster Spot This Offseason
The Pittsburgh Steelers' current roster is 90 players deep, though once the first week of the 2017 NFL season rolls around, it will be reduced to 53 players (plus a practice squad). Not everyone currently wearing black and gold will be doing so come September.
But roster cuts aren't the only ways that Steelers veterans could see their roles altered this year. With the addition of rookies and free agents during the offseason, starters a year ago could be backups this season and veteran contributors could see their playing time reduced thanks to these newer, younger players.
Here are five veteran Steelers who could lose their spot on Pittsburgh's roster this year, whether by way of being released outright or by being less involved on the field than they were a season ago.
CB William Gay
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Halfway through the 2016 season, cornerback William Gay was moved from the outside, where he played alongside Ross Cockrell, to the slot position once rookie Artie Burns proved ready to take on a starting boundary role. Though Gay was the Steelers' top-rated cornerback, according to Pro Football Focus, the roster moves the Steelers made in the 2017 offseason could make Gay obsolete, so much so that he may not even have a spot on the team come September.
The selection of cornerback Cameron Sutton in Round 3 of the draft combined with the addition of Coty Sensabaugh in free agency means that the Steelers have no less than three players vying for slot cornerback duties. And with the Steelers trying to use more man coverage in the secondary, Gay's zone-scheme prowess may not be of use this year.
Still, Gay's veteran status, his affordable contract and the fact that the Steelers will need a zone-minded cornerback in dime situations could save Gay's roster spot. It just may result in an even more reduced role. Unlike in years past, Gay is not guaranteed to be a key player in Pittsburgh's defense.
CB Senquez Golson
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Unlike William Gay, Steelers cornerback Senquez Golson hasn't appeared in a single game, neither during the regular season nor preseason, since being the team's second-round draft pick in 2015. And with so many cornerbacks on the roster—including two added in the draft and one in free agency—Golson's career lack of availability could result in him being released from his contract this summer.
Golson injured his shoulder during summer workouts, requiring surgery that cost him his rookie season. A Lisfranc foot injury suffered the following summer also never healed in time to get him on the field for the 2017 season.
With no material experience to his name and other cornerbacks trending upward in Pittsburgh, Golson will have to be not just healthy in training camp but also prove that he is ready and able to make immediate contributions. Otherwise, his time with the Steelers could soon come to a close.
RB Fitzgerald Toussaint
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A year ago, Fitzgerald Toussaint was the Steelers' No. 3 running back, but he didn't get a lot of playing time, notching only 14 carries for 58 yards and catching three passes for 33 yards. His most valuable contribution was as a kick returner; he returned 13 for 278 yards.
But during the offseason, the Steelers signed someone to compete with Toussaint—Knile Davis, who spent all but two games of his career with the Kansas City Chiefs. With a yards-per-carry average of 3.2 (compared to 2.9 for Toussaint) and a more accomplished history as a kick returner (73 career returns for 1,960 yards and two scores), it appears as though Toussaint's hold onto the No. 3 running back spot is tenuous at best.
Toussaint's job could be saved should the Steelers want four running backs on the roster this year, though that doesn't seem likely unless injury forces their hand. Though Davis was a free-agent signing, the Steelers rarely pick up veterans on the open market for whom they don't have serious plans in mind.
Davis is the more experienced back and the more reliable returner, which puts him at the No. 3 spot behind Le'Veon Bell and James Conner and thus pushing Toussaint off the roster.
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WR Sammie Coates
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Steelers receiver Sammie Coates had a slow start to his career in Pittsburgh. The 2015 fifth-round draft pick appeared in only seven games as a rookie and recorded just a single 11-yard catch. Though his role expanded somewhat in 2016, a broken finger and a torn groin (which both required surgery after the season) led to additional struggles.
Coates caught only 21 passes on the season for 435 yards and two scores. He also returned six kicks for 150 yards. And now with the wide receiver talent piling up on Pittsburgh's roster, there simply may not be enough room for Coates in 2017.
Antonio Brown and 2017 second-round draft pick JuJu Smith-Schuster are certain to make the team's 53-man roster. If Martavis Bryant can avoid yet another (and likely career-ending) league suspension, that leaves at most three more roster spots for wideouts.
Among the players who, along with Coates, will be fighting it out for jobs this summer are Eli Rogers, who was last year's starter in the slot; DeMarcus Ayers, a favorite of head coach Mike Tomlin; Darrius Heyward-Bey, a key special-teamer; and Justin Hunter, who was brought aboard in free agency.
Coates is a deep threat—passes thrown his way traveled an average of 21.9 yards in the air, which may have contributed to his double-digit drops. This could be something that saves him this summer, as well as his kick- and punt-return abilities. But he needs to have more reliable hands and prove that his struggles in 2016 were injury-related and not due to a lack of fundamental skills.
At such a crowded position, Coates needs to stand out in a positive way in order to be among the five or six wideouts the Steelers will keep on their 53-man roster this year.
LB Arthur Moats
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When the Steelers signed outside linebacker Arthur Moats to a one-year deal in 2014, all they were looking for was veteran depth to add to their defense and a player who could potentially contribute on a limited basis. But Moats proved even more valuable in his first year in Pittsburgh, something which earned him a three-year deal the following March.
As the Steelers continued to round out their group of outside linebackers, Moats' role as an experienced veteran expanded. He started in 10 games in 2015 and totaled four sacks. But the emergence of 2015 first-round pick Bud Dupree in 2016 saw his playing time decrease. He was a starter in only five games last year, and though he had 3.5 sacks, he totaled only 19 combined tackles.
As Dupree's snap count rose, Moats' were the ones to take the biggest hit; according to Pro Football Focus, he went from playing 30 or 40 snaps per game to start the year to single-digit plays to end it. He also finished 2016 with the worst overall grade of his career.
Dupree's role should only expand further in 2017, especially after the departure of Jarvis Jones in free agency. Further, the drafting of T.J. Watt in Round 1 this year should continue to eat into the playing time of veterans like Moats and James Harrison, particularly later in the season. This could easily relegate Moats to spending most of his time on the bench this year, should he make it through final roster cuts.
Moats will cost the Steelers only $633,333 to release in 2017, another sign that nothing is guaranteed the 29-year old linebacker.
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