Matt Spaeth’s release clears path for receivers, linebackers, trying to make roster

The Pittsburgh Steelers have officially announced the release of longtime tight end Matt Spaeth, following a failed physical.

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— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) July 21, 2016

A 9-year NFL veteran, Spaeth was originally drafted by the Steelers in the 3rd round of the 2007 draft; Mike Tomlin’s first year as a head coach. He would spend 7 of his 9 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, leaving the team for a short stint in 2011 and 2012 with the Chicago Bears, before returning to the Steel City in 2013 as a backup for Heath Miller.

Spaeth’s initial return was tough, as he would miss all but 4 games in the 2013 season, but would be a reliable hand the following two seasons. Always leaned upon as a blocker more than a receiver, Spaeth would play in 123 regular season games, but only tally 10 touchdowns in his career. Of those, his most memorable catch would be hauling in Ben Roethlisberger‘s record-breaking 12th touchdown pass in a two game span.

Because Spaeth was used so little in the high-powered Steelers offenses of recent years, his future in Pittsburgh had been  in doubt all offseason, following the retirement of Heath Miller, and the signing of former San Diego Charger Ladarius Green. As Father Time caught up with the aging tight end, who missed 3 games last season, and saw his most valuable skill, blocking, also diminish.

Entering the final year of a two-year contract he signed last season, most felt Spaeth could be fighting for a spot on the active roster with free agent Xavier Grimble (who had bounced around multiple NFL practice squads over the last few seasons) and returning tight end/fullback David Johnson.

However, that particular camp battle won’t come to fruition, as Steelers GM Kevin Colbert made an official statement on Spaeth’s status this afternoon:

“Matt never fully recovered from knee surgery that occurred this past offseason, and he will not be ready to return to football activities at this time. Matt played an integral role in our Super Bowl XLIII Championship run, and we wish him the best in his future endeavors.”

The ripple effect on other positions

As noted by SCU contributor Eric Hermann, the Steelers have kept some positions more than others over Mike Tomlin’s reign as head coach. Pittsburgh fans currently have their eyes glued on several training camp battles, but none more than the wide receivers and linebackers. I had previously written about which receivers have the best shot at making the 2016 Steelers roster, and now with Spaeth’s release, the door may open for Pittsburgh to potentially experiment with adding a 6th WR, a specialist such as a kick returner or punt returner, to the active roster.

The caveat of keeping 6 receivers is a luxury for any NFL club. With 11 legitimate linebackers all vying for a spot on this year’s 53-man list, having one less “lock” on another position could open the doors for several of the young backers, who are essential for both the Keith Butler‘s system and for Pittsburgh’s special teams unit, to make the cut. Since the team retained 11 linebackers at one point during the 2015 season, the possibility exists that none of the linebackers in camp are “camp bodies.”

Of course, the ripple effect is felt most on the tight end group. Second-year TE Jesse James becomes the Steelers’ number two at the position by default. The aforementioned Grimble and Johnson will be competing for a possible 3rd or 4th spot on the roster, though I feel the team will only carry three. With Spaeth’s release, and Johnson’s flexibility in playing as both an end and a fullback, along with offensive coordinator Todd Haley’s history of using hybrid TE/FB players (Will Johnson) the early edge favors David Johnson, as Grimble has failed to make any active roster of the franchises he’s played for.

The safe bet is that Grimble, would make the team as a practice squad member, opening up a spot for the Steelers to protect a player from one of their other talented, deep positions. Since interest in Grimble has been lukewarm around the league, there’s less of a chance he’s poached to another team’s active roster, should the Steelers need to call him up in the event of an injury to Green,

My prediction is the team will keep more linebackers this season, but there’s a lot of football that needs played before those decisions are finalized.