Sometimes the biggest surprises an NFL team creates when they trim their roster from 75 to 53 aren't who they release, but who they retain.
For most Pittsburgh Steelers fans, the fact that the team kept third-string quarterback Landry Jones might have been the biggest surprise when news broke of the team's updated, 53-man roster. Jones was given plenty of opportunities to prove his worth as not just the third-string quarterback, but also as a potential backup to Ben Roethlisberger. Every chance Jones received, he seemingly squandered away,
Jones' sub-par preseason performance leaves fans scratching their heads, but that decision becomes extremely intriguing when you see the team released both Chris Carter and Howard Jones. What once was thought to be a head-to-head battle for the final linebacker position turned into neither linebacker winning a job. Now the organization is looking at scant depth at the outside linebacker positions heading into week one.
The Steelers' opted to keep six wide recievers, choosing Darrius Heyward-Bey over Derek Moye, and retained nine offensive lineman and eleven defensive backs.
Ultimately, there weren't many surprises with the Steelers' roster being trimmed to 53 players, but looking at the numbers at specific positions, there's a good chance the organization isn't done making moves on this roster.
The Steelers open the season next Sunday, September 7th, when the Cleveland Browns travel to Heinz Field.