FanPost

Roster Review 3/13

Just in case you (like me) were curious, here's our current roster situation, I'm looking at numbers and who we could put on the field, not looking at where we'd like to upgrade, just at bodies and servicable starters/reserves.

QB

Ben Roethlisberger (starter)

Bruce Gradkowski (probably #2)

John Parker Wilson (body)

RB

Jonathan Dwyer (signed his RFA offer sheet so he's ours for now)

Baron Batch

FB

Will Johnson (probably the starter)

David Johnson (Great to have if he recovers well)

TE

Heath Miller (Get well soon!)

Jamie McCoy

David Paulson

Zack Pianalto (futures contract)

WR

Antonio Brown

Jerricho Cotchery

Plexico Burress

David Gilreath

Derek Moye (Practice Squad last year)

OL

Mike Adams (Starter Tackle)

Marcus Gilbert (Starter Tackle)

Ramon Foster (Starter Guard)

David DeCastro (Starter Guard)

Maurkice Pouncey (Starter Center)

Kelvin Beachum (He could push for a starting role if he develops from his surprisingly good rookie year)

John Maleki (pinballed last year, he's bottom of the depth.

Joe Long (PS last year)

RFA's:

WR Emmanuel Sanders

RB Isaac Redman

Minimum Needs (to make this roster feasible, not great)

A RB (or two if we lose Dwyer or Redman)

Backup TE/fill in for Heath.

WR needs a fourth/fifth at least, depending on if Plex could be a fourth WR. If Sanders leaves we need a starting capable WR.

OL Depth, we have 6 right now that can play

Defense

NT

Alemeda Ta'amu (he was on PS to end year)

Hebron Fangupo (he was signed for the last game)

DE

Brett Keisel (starter)

Ziggy Hood (starter)

Cameron Heyward (should push for starting role)

Al Woods

OLB

Lamarr Woodley (starter)

Jason Worilds (first shot at starting)

Chris Carter

Adrian Robinson

ILB

Lawrence Timmons (Starter

Larry Foote (Starter)

Sean Spence

Marshall McFadden

CB

Ike Taylor

William Gay

Cortez Allen

Curtis Brown

DeMarcus Van Dyke

Josh Victorian

Justin King

S

Troy Polomalu

Ryan Clark

Da'Mon Cromartie-Smith

Robert Golden

RFA's

NT Steve McClendon

Minimum Needs:

NT, McClendon likely stays, but even then Ta'amu and Fangupo are not ideal roster players.

Roster thoughts:

We Need a NT that will be on the roster, I'd like one to push McClendon and be the future. Other than that this defense is servicable, but starting to lack the numbers of high-end talent we are used to.

On offense we need (at the minimum) a WR to push for catches, a RB to add to the mix, a TE to backup and fill in for Heath, 2 OL to fill out an 8-man unit and have emergency depth.

That's at least 6 spots we need to address, and then add camp bodies and emergency depth.

I would love to see most of these addressed before the draft. Unless something has impressed the Steelers about Ta'amu since December I would rather not put all our eggs on McClendon. If Sanders resigns we can go into the draft with what we have, but I'd really like to see some O-Line and a TE brought in. If we start week one with McCoy Paulson and DJ at TE it won't be pretty.

I know everyone is on Draft highs right now, but you don't want to go into the draft with big holes to fill, you want to go into the draft with a servicable roster and make it better.

I'll hopefully be updating this as we go further in the process.

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