Tuesday was cutdown day, which is always a day that players around the league dread. Each NFL team had to get from around 90 players all the way down to 53 on Tuesday.
Of course, the initial 53-man rosters almost always end up changing a little bit more before Week 1 begins. The way the Steelers set up their initial roster, it seems likely that some more shuffling will be done.
For example, the Steelers opted to keep four quarterbacks on the main roster, which is not typical. It was thought that rookie Will Howard would be placed on injured reserve and Skylar Thompson would win the QB3 job, but the team has not added Howard to the list just yet.
Donte Kent was also kept on the active roster, but he didn’t play in the preseason due to a nagging injury, so he could be placed on IR as well.
If Howard and Kent actually are moved to IR, it would potentially open the door for the Steelers to bring back two players who were surprisingly released: cornerback James Pierre and safety Chuck Clark.
Joe Clark of Steelers Depot believes this is the most likely scenario. The Steelers kept just three safeties on the roster, and that’s highly unusual. If Kent is added to IR, the team will only have four corners, which would also be highly unusual.
Regarding bringing back Clark and Pierre, Clark offered the following:
If the Steelers do place both Howard and Kent on IR, bringing back Pierre and Clark would seem like the two most logical moves. The team currently has just three safeties on its roster, with DeShon Elliott and Juan Thornhill the likely starters and Miles Killebrew, primarily a special teamer, as the backup. Clark would make a lot of sense as the third safety and primary backup, and he also offers some versatility as he’s played in the slot during his career.
With Pierre cut, there’s an open question of who would be Pittsburgh’s gunner across from Ben Skowronek. Pierre’s been a valuable special teamer during his time in Pittsburgh, and recently, has been someone the Steelers can count on when they need cornerback depth in a pinch. Both Pierre and Clark have Week 1 roster bonuses they could earn if they’re brought back on Pittsburgh’s roster.
As Clark mentioned, it would definitely make sense to bring both veterans back considering the current layout of the roster. However, it’s entirely possible the two are wanted by another team due to their experience.
Clark and Pierre are vested veterans, so they are not subject to the waiver process. This means the players can choose their next team, and it’s possible another team could offer a larger role.
Clark has seven years of experience and 75 starts on his resume. The safety has five career interceptions and collected 101 tackles in 2022. Pierre, meanwhile, has spent five seasons with the Steelers and has 117 total tackles and three interceptions.
