Steelers Stun Fans with Bold Roster Moves as Key Veterans Return Amid Injury Surprises
The Pittsburgh Steelers made a handful of questionable decisions during roster cutdown day, even though they tried to rectify some of them by bringing certain players back to the practice squad. Their initial 53-man roster was obviously not the finished product, as the team rarely ever carries four quarterbacks, along with other unusual aspects to the roster. Many are now just waiting on more moves to be made to see how Pittsburgh truly feels about their players, both on and off the team currently.
During a recent press conference, Head Coach Mike Tomlin gave an update on the plans for the changes to the roster after all the waivers had cleared and the practice squad had been solidified.
There has been numerous rumors of quarterback Will Howard starting the season on Injured Reserve (IR) to keep Skylar Thompson around for the first four weeks of the season. The other IR idea is Donte Kent, who went through some drills on Wednesday, even though he was not in uniform and officially practicing with the team
At the very least, getting safety Chuck Clark back is a huge plus, as the safety depth is already weak. Seeing him cut was a massive surprise, especially since he was reportedly competing for the starting job. He was likely given a contract offer the moment he was released, and now that players are going to IR, he will be brought back to play a likely big role as a rotational piece. As far as Howard, insider Mark Kaboly provided more clarity on his situation.
Bringing back guard Max Scharping is a little bit of a surprise, as he would be the 10th offensive lineman on the roster. It definitely feels like that spot could have been used elsewhere like at cornerback or wide receiver. Either way, the Steelers still clearly value him enough to not let him go, even after he was released. Like with Clark, he likely had a deal in place with Pittsburgh right as he got released.
Steelers' Injured Reserve Choices May Be Questioned
There is video evidence of Howard and Kent working on the practice field to try and get back into the swing of things in recent days, albeit in street clothes. What's odd is that the Steelers opted not to use both of their pre-cutdown IR spots, as Cory Trice Jr. was the only one to be given that designation.
