3 Steelers veterans on the chopping block following the NFL Draft
The Steelers brought in a lot of young talent in the 2017 NFL Draft. As with every year, there are some positions on the roster that are loaded and their depth charts will likely come down to the wire.
While the rookies and undrafted free agents will be fighting to make the Steelers roster, there are also veteran players whose spots are being threatened.
Here are three Steelers veterans currently on the chopping block.
William Gay
Gay has been one of the Steelers most reliable players in the secondary for years now. He’s played both outside and nickel corner and has had a lot of success. Unfortunately, age is catching up with Gay and he’s now 32 years old. It was clear in the AFC Championship Game loss versus the Patriots that Gay had lost a step and was struggling to cover young, fast players.
The main reason Gay’s job is in jeopardy is because of the surplus of talent the Steelers have on their cornerback depth chart. There are currently 7 players fighting for 5-6 spots: Artie Burns, Ross Cockrell, Cam Sutton, Coty Sensabaugh, William Gay, Senquez Golson, and Brian Allen. New players Sutton and Sensabaugh mirror Gay’s skill set and have the ability to play nickel and outside cornerback, making Gay expendable. With many of these players being younger and more athletic than Gay, he, unfortunately, may be the odd man out. How Golson and Allen perform in camp will play a major role in Gay’s fate.
Darrius Heyward-Bey
I’m sure nobody expected Heyward-Bey to stick around on the Steelers roster as long as he has. He’s entering his 4th season with the Steelers after being signed as a flyer. Heyward-Bey has carved out a niche role for himself with his excellent special teams play, solid blocking, and flashy play. While Heyward-Bey has never been known for his consistency, he’s certainly flashed in his limited snaps – for example, his 60-yard rushing touchdown versus the Miami Dolphins in 2016 – however he has reached his ceiling.
Similar to the cornerbacks, the wide receiver group is flushed with talent. The roster includes Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Eli Rogers, Sammie Coates, Justin Hunter, and Darrius Heyward-Bey. There is a lot of talent in this group and the fact that Heyward-Bey’s strength is primarily on special teams, he could be expendable. If a player like Smith-Schuster, Coates, or Hunter can replicate his impact, the Steelers may consider parting with him for younger players with higher ceilings and less of a cap hit.
Fitzgerald Toussaint
Toussaint’s story has been strange. He’s been both a fan favorite and a scapegoat during his time in Pittsburgh. When Le’Veon Bell and DeAngelo Williams went down with injuries in the 2015 playoffs, Toussaint helped the Steelers defeat the Bengals in the Wildcard game. However, in the next game versus the Broncos, he fumbled the ball in the 4th quarter and the Steelers lost the game – this is how most remember Toussaint.
Toussaint has failed to be an impact player during his time with the Steelers. While he returned kicks during the 2016 season, his play was never exactly memorable. The Steelers were wise to bring in competition for Toussaint in Knile Davis. Davis has bounced around NFL rosters recently, but his strength has always been kick returns. With the Steelers rush attack being led by Le’Veon Bell and James Conner, the #3 running back will likely go to the player who is the best on special teams. This could lead to Toussaint being pushed off the roster by Davis.
