NFL Roster Cuts 2011: The 4 Pittsburgh Steelers Who Will Be Released on Tuesday

The Pittsburgh Steelers, along with every other NFL team, will have to start making some difficult decisions on Tuesday as roster cut-downs begin. There will be some obvious cuts among undrafted rookies and younger backups that have not performed up to expectations. There are also going to be some intriguing story lines moving forward.

Here's a look at the four Steelers who are likely to be released on Tuesday to get the team to the new roster limit. Also, here's a review of the five players who were cut on Sunday.

Already Gone

Before we look ahead, here's a quick review of the five players cut on Sunday. The team must make four additional cuts by 4 p.m. on Tuesday to get to the roster limit. None of these cuts can be considered a surprise as all five were players at the bottom of the depth chart at positions that are already virtually decided.

Vaughn Charlton

Wasn't going to make a team that already has Heath Miller, John Gilmore and David Johnson assured of roster spots.

Eric Greenwood

Barely got any time with all of the other receivers that the team has accumulated this preseason and didn't have anything notable to help him stand out.

Kevin Dockery

Last at an over-saturated position, Dockery never got much of a chance to prove himself, either.

Kenneth Moore

Another receiver who was at the bottom of the depth chart. Got some looks on returns, but didn't distinguish himself in any particular way.

Miguel Chavis

Tore his pectoral muscle against Atlanta and also was a tight end at a full position.

Swayze Waters, PK

Positional Analysis

The team already has Shaun Suisham, who was back in action and looked strong on Saturday night. They don't need two kickers.

Performance in the Preseason

Waters has been okay. Probably the best term for it is "mediocre." He hasn't been bad, but he hasn't been anything special. He does look like a guy who could help a team in dire need of a kicker during the season, so he'll probably be able to hang around or go to the UFL.

Jarrett Crittenton, DE

Positional Analysis

The team has starters Aaron Smith and Brett Keisel and backups Ziggy Hood and Cameron Heyward. They could also use Steve McClendon here if necessary.

Performance in the Preseason

He's only garnered one tackle in three games and has only played late with all of the starters and primary backups on the bench. He's the classic camp guy who was brought in to fill a roster spot. The team will likely get rid of these players before the last preseason game, which should be used to look at players who are on the bubble.

John Clay, RB

Positional Analysis

Starter Rashard Mendenhall is here and backed by Isaac Redman and Mewelde Moore. Clay is basically competing with Jonathan Dwyer for one roster spot. Dwyer had a bad start but has really come on in the last two preseason games. It seems as though he will now be the fourth running back.

Performance in the Preseason

He's carried eight times for 27 yards in three games with no touchdowns and a fumble (not lost). The big problem right now is that he has a mediocre yards per carry average against only the spare parts of opposing defenses. Meanwhile, Dwyer has feasted on cellar dwellers and has worked to get himself out of Mike Tomlin's doghouse.

Macho Harris, DB

Positional Analysis

The team will try to get a longer look at Crezdon Butler, Curtis Brown, Cortez Allen, Da'Mon Cromartie-Smith and others as they try to determine who will back up Ike Taylor and Bryant McFadden. Harris isn't new to this drill.

Performance in the Preseason

He's played in two games but hasn't registered anything on the statistics sheet so far. That's never a good sign. He's behind way too many people and they need to start trimming the fat from those positions.

Reasoning and Circumstances

Reasoning Behind the Choices

I picked players who were already at the very bottom of their positional depth charts. The first cuts are usually the easiest for the coaches to make because they are mostly just trimming the fat of undrafted players and camp bodies.

There are also some circumstances that will likely keep some positions full for next week's preseason finale.

Injuries along the offensive line have been heavy this year. While they are mostly just little dings and pulls, Mike Tomlin and his coaches don't want to get anyone important hurt in the last game of the meaningless preseason. The same goes for the secondary.

Tomlin likes to take a long look at linebackers, so that position will likely remain full until the final cuts come. The injury to Byron Leftwich solves the quarterback issue between Dennis Dixon and Charlie Batch. Leftwich probably will end up on injured reserve in the coming days.

The team isn't likely to make more cuts at receiver since they are taking a long look at guys like Wes Lyons and Tyler Grisham. The cuts I've made here are not players who are likely to be found on the practice squad.