plus WRs Martin Nance and Steven Black, and C Alex Stepanovich

stepanovich, parquet, nance, richardson, and either shantz or korte. if they know parker and moore are gonna be healthy and see a fair amount of playing time next preseason game i could see vincent being cut instead of one of the LBs.

Chances are they’ll want to limit the starters – maybe only a series. So, they might keep vincent around for another few days.

I would have thought that a good place to start would be the guys who won’t be making the final 53 but who don’t have any practice squad eligibility left. Guys like:

Martin Nance, Jeremy Parquet, Scott Paxson (I think), Arnold Harrison, Stepanovich, I figure you also have to chuck in guys like Derrick Richardson and Steven Black who’ve done very little.

I think they hold onto Justin Vincent. If Redman and Summers make the final 53 then Vincent is a likely PS member. Regarding Schantz and Korte I think it’s very likely they’ll want to keep one LB on the practice squad. It could of course be Patrick Bailey if they give Bruce Davis another shot.

Picture at 53-man roster coming into focus
Posted August 30, 2009 9 :10 PM

Players fighting for a roster spot — and the Steelers didn’t have a whole lot of open ones when they convened for training camp at the end of July — get to make one final argument Thursday.

That is when the Steelers visit the Carolina Panthers in the final preseason game for each team. Has 5-6 Stefan Logan played his way onto the team with the dynamic return ability he had flashed in the last two games? Which rookies in an impressive rookie class will make the cut — and which ones will end up on the practice squad?

With these questions still yet to be answered here is one guess at how the 53-man roster will look after the Steelers finalize it Saturday.

Quarterback (3)

Ben Roethlisberger — So much for concerns about his right foot.

Charlie Batch — Solid preseason has only strengthened his grip on No. 2 job.

Dennis Dixon — Made significant strides before a shoulder injury halted his progress.

Running back (5)

Willie Parker — Should open season fresh after getting limited work during the preseason.

Rashard Mendenhall — Will he emerge as a legitimate complement at or will he simply spell Parker from time to time?

Mewelde Moore — Third-down back is also injury insurance for Parker and Mendenhall.

Carey Davis — Does the little things that don’t show up in a box score and is a superb special teams player.

Stefan Logan — The Steelers have to find a spot on the roster for the 5-6 mighty mite given what he has shown as a return man.

Wide receiver (5)

Hines Ward — Ageless wonder still one of the better all-around wideouts in the NFL.

Santonio Holmes — Is this the year he supplants Ward as Roethlisberger’s go-to guy?

Limas Sweed — One of the most improved players on the team should have inside track to No. 3 wide receiver spot.

Mike Wallace — Rookie gives the Steelers a deep threat and supplants Sweed at No. 3 wide receiver if Sweed falters.

Shaun McDonald — Consummate professional catches everything thrown his way.

Tight end (3)

Heath Miller — One of the top all-around tight ends in the NFL.

Matt Spaeth — At least two solid blocking tight ends are required in Bruce Arians’ offense.

David Johnson — Knee injury sustained by Sean McHugh opens the door for the rookie seventh-round draft pick.

Offensive line (nine)

Max Starks — Will be at left tackle for his first full season since entering the NFL in 2004.

Chris Kemoeatu — Should improve in his second season as starter at left guard.

Justin Hartwig — The Steelers could do a lot worse as far as a starting center.

Trai Essex — Takes advantage of Darnell Stapleton’s knee injury to win the job at right guard.

Willie Colon — Has started 38 consecutive games at right tackle.

Stapleton — Could re-gain his starting job at right guard once he is healthy.

Tony Hills — Beats out Jason Capizzi and Jeremy Parquet for the spot at backup tackle.

Kraig Urbik — Rookie still has a ways to go but status as a third-round draft pick buys him some time.

Doug Legursky — Ability to play both center and guard gives him the edge over A.Q. Shipley.

Defensive line (seven)

Aaron Smith — One of the best 3-4 defensive ends in the NFL

Casey Hampton — Vital plug in the middle of the Steelers’ defense.

Brett Keisel — Get overshadowed on Steelers’ star-studded defense.

Chris Hoke — Defensive tackle is as valuable a reserve as the Steelers have.

Travis Kirschke — Not getting any younger but played well last season when filling in for the injured Keisel.

Nick Eason — Made significant improvement last season, his second one with the Steelers, and is one of the younger defensive linemen on the team.

Ziggy Hood — First-round pick has done so well as a rookie that he could be in the rotation at defensive end.

Linebacker (eight)

James Harrison — Hard to believe that the outside linebacker once had to sweat out final cuts on an annual basis.

James Farrior — Like Ward, he is an ageless wonder as well as the heart and soul of the defense.

Lawrence Timmons — All-around skills could him an upgrade over the steady Larry Foote at right inside linebacker.

LaMarr Woodley — Doesn’t allow teams to pay too much attention to Harrison.

Keyaron Fox — Special teams ace is more than capable of filling role as top reserve at inside linebacker.

Andre Frazier — Top reserve at outside linebacker is also a special-teams stalwart.

Donovon Woods — Provides depth at inside linebacker and is a regular on special teams.

Patrick Bailey — His special-teams play gives him the nod for the final spot at outside linebacker over Bruce Davis and Arnold Harrison.

Cornerbacks (six)

Ike Taylor — Has his sights set on making his first Pro Bowl.

William Gay — New starter at right cornerback but was rotating with Bryant McFadden by the end of last season.

Deshea Townsend — Nickel back isn’t the biggest or fastest guy but he is rarely out of position.

Keiwan Ratliff — Veteran provides injury insurance at both corner and nickel back.

Keenan Lewis — Depth allows Steelers to bring rookie third-round pick along slowly.

Anthony Madison — He is that valuable of a gunner on the punt coverage team that he grabs perhaps the last remaining spot on roster.

Safety (four)

Troy Polamalu — All the strong safety does is make plays all over the field.

Ryan Clark — Remember when Anthony Smith was going to push him out of the starting spot at free safety?

Tyrone Carter — Steady veteran is the top backup at both safety positions.

Ryan Mundy — Gets nod over Roy Lewis because he is more of a natural safety.

Specialists (three)

Jeff Reed — One of the more reliable kickers in the NFL.

Daniel Sepulveda — Is a significant upgrade at punter over Mitch Berger.

Greg Warren — Long snapper is coming back from a serious knee injury.

My suggested changes, IN: R. Foster, J. Capizzi, Sonny Harris, the Tank

OUT: D. Stapleton, Nick Eason, T. Hills, P. Mundy

I’m thinking it is the three that didn’t see the field – Schantz, Richardson, Korte. Plus the following: Sherrod and Black.

The next round is obviously harder, but I have to think that Logan and Redman have the team made given an average performance vs Carolina.

Joe Burnett should be sweating bullets.
Frank the Tank should be cut and moved to PS. No one in the league has seen him play this year except the Steelers in practice.
I think McHugh should be very concerned even beyond the injury suffered. David Johnson isn’t the best player in the world, but as a rookie he seems comparable at least to S McHugh.
Mundy has not done much to show he belongs at this level either. I am not sold on him. T Carter and having flexibility with a player like Ratliff would be preferable, especially considering that we play in Denver this year and I would be shocked if Ryan Clark makes the trip. Thus, having experience that is game proven at that position is actually quite important this year.

Joe Burnett has got to make the team. He is our most promising prospective DB. Yeah, he sucks as a return man … but he has shown flashes of brilliance when on the field as a corner. I bet that Madison or even Logan will be cut to make room for him.

And yes, I saw him get beat for that TD in the second preseason game. That doesn’t overshadow he otherwise solid play.