The Pittsburgh Steelers kick off their preseason on Friday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That means we are just a few weeks away from finding out who makes the Week 1 53-man roster. There are several intriguing battles that have been going on throughout training camp, and we will continue to see those on Friday. Per usual, there will be some talented, deserving players who will be left off the roster.
Beat writer Mark Kaboly of The Athletic put out his updated 53-man roster prediction on Wednesday. Perhaps amongst the biggest surprises was the inside linebacker room. Kaboly opted to carry just four guys in the room, which led to some surprising cuts.
"There isn’t much to see here, either. Omar Khan signed Kwon Alexander a week into camp, which will likely cause a guy like Nick Kwiatkoski or Tanner Muse not to make the cut. There is little doubt that [Elandon] Roberts, [Cole] Holcomb, [Mark] Robinson and Alexander are sure bets. It’s whether or not they feel the need to hold onto Kwiatkowski or Muse for special teams purposes. With Robinson and Alexander already being used on special teams, that likely won’t be needed."
Kwon Alexander has settled in quickly with the Steelers, as he’s looked like the team’s best linebacker at times in Latrobe. It's unreasonable to expect him to be a key special teams contributor though, as Kaboly projected. Alexander has played just 28 snaps there over his last four NFL seasons. Along with Elandon Roberts and Cole Holcomb though, he’s a lock to make the opening roster.
Second-year man Mark Robinson should be as well, as he will be able to learn from some savvy veterans. While he only played 16 special teams snaps in 2022, he has the attributes to become a key member there. Specifically, he brings an intense physicality that the coaches love. Additionally, he's shown some improvements to other areas of his game this summer. That’s it for the linebacker room in Kaboly’s opinion though, as he predicted those four as the ones to make it.
What Steelers LB will be cut loose ahead of Week 1?
That means Nick Kwiatkoski, who was just signed a few weeks ago, and Tanner Muse were left off. Now, neither of those two guys figure to be key members of Pittsburgh’s defense in 2023. With that being said, both of them are very good special teams guys. The Steelers lost a lot of Danny Smith’s guys this offseason, and guys like Muse and Kwiatkoski helped fill those voids.
While it seems unlikely that the team would carry both of them, barring an injury, it seems even more unlikely that both of them are cut. Head Coach Mike Tomlin loves guys that bring versatility and value to multiple areas of the team. Kwiatkoski has started 34 career games at linebacker, in addition to 1,257 snaps logged on special teams across seven seasons.
Now, the 53-man roster comes down to a numbers game. If the Steelers were to carry just four off-ball linebackers, they would be able to carry an additional player at another position. Kaboly projected the team to carry 11 defensive backs, along with nine offensive linemen. The depth at those positions came at the expense of Muse and Kwiatkoski in this example. Time will tell if Tomlin can afford to release not one, but two special teams aces from his linebacker group.
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