Steelers 2013 53 Man Roster Prediction – Post Preseason Game 1 Edition

The Pittsburgh Steelers now have their first preseason game behind them, so it is now time for my fourth 53 man roster prediction for the 2013 season.

If you missed my first three 53 man roster predictions following the draft, OTA practices and pre training camp you can view them by following the links provided.

As I do every year, I will have a new prediction after each and every preseason game leading up to my final 53 man roster prediction which will be released right before the final round of cuts take place.

Feel free to list your prediction below in the comments below.

Offense: (25)

Quarterbacks: (3) Ben Roethlisberger, Bruce Gradkowski, Landry Jones

• I just can\’t see them giving up on Jones this soon regardless of how much better John Parker Wilson might look.

Running Backs: (4) Le\’Veon Bell, Isaac Redman, LaRod Stephens-Howling, Baron Batch

• Yes, crucify me in the comments, but if Danny Smith has control of the final few roster spots, I can still see him wanting to keep Batch over Jonathan Dwyer for special teams purposes. I have a few weeks to change my mind, so spew your hate carefully in the comments.

Fullbacks: (1) Will Johnson

• Why even play Johnson anymore during the preseson at this point? Put him in bubble wrap right now.

Wide Receivers: (5) Antonio Brown, Emmanuel Sanders, Jerricho Cotchery, Markus Wheaton, Justin Brown

• One man\’s misfortune or circumstance is another mans opportunity. I hate it for Plaxico Burress, but he wasn\’t a lock anyway.

Tight Ends: (4) Heath Miller, Matt Spaeth, David Paulson, Michael Palmer

• If you believe the latest reports, Miller won\’t be going on Reserve PUP and Spaeth won\’t be put on injured reserve. If that winds up happening, Palmer or a tight end yet to be waived by another team will likely be the fourth tight end until somebody else is healthy. I\’m not sure David Johnson is the answer. He has a lot of ground to make up when he comes off the PUP list.

Offensive Line: (8) Maurkice Pouncey, David DeCastro, Ramon Foster, Mike Adams, Marcus Gilbert, Kelvin Beachum, John Malecki, Guy Whimper

• Carrying an extra tight end means another position must suffer. Mike Tomlin normally only likes to dress seven offensive linemen on game days, but could dress eight until being as he very well might two tight ends inactive for a while.

Defense: (25)

Nose Tackles: (2) Steve McLendon, Alameda Ta\’amu

• Hopefully Ta\’amu keeps progressing.

Defensive Ends: (4) Brett Keisel, Ziggy Hood, Cameron Heyward, Al Woods

• Woods got work as the backup nose tackle during the offseason, so the Steelers seem certain to carry only six defensive linemen in total until both tight ends are healthy.

Linebackers: (9) Lawrence Timmons, Larry Foote, LaMarr Woodley, Jason Worilds, Jarvis Jones, Chris Carter, Stevenson Sylvester, Marshall McFadden, Vince Williams

• As long as Sylvester can stay healthy, I think he is lock now. The same goes for Carter. I had to say goodbye to Adrian Robinson in order to make the numbers work.

Cornerbacks: (5) Ike Taylor, Cortez Allen, William Gay, Curtis Brown, Josh Victorian

• Victorian is healthy and DeMarcus Van Dyke isn\’t. They can carry five cornerbacks being as a few of the safeties can play the nickel in case of emergency.

Safeties: (5) Troy Polamalu, Ryan Clark, Robert Golden, Da\’Mon Cromartie-Smith, Shamarko Thomas

• Yes, Cromartie-Smith is playing with fire after allowing a blocked punt, but Thomas will need time to learn the safety positions.

Special Teams: (3)

Kicker: (1) Shaun Suisham

• This is an easy call.

Punter: (1) Drew Butler

• Brian Moorman is pushing, but I still have Butler as the leader.

Long Snapper: (1) Greg Warren

• So much for my Luke Ingram prediction. Warren snapped him right out of Pittsburgh before the battle even started. If you see Warren, apologize to him for me.

Practice Squad: (8) Nick Williams, Terry Hawthorne, Joe Long, Mike Golic Jr., Alan Baxter, Alvester Alexander, J.D. Woods, Nathan Overbay

• Williams is a project. Long and Golic Jr. make sense. Woods stepped up and showed great hands. Baxter is here because Robinson was active for too many games as a rookie. Alexander is here because they need an extra practice running back and Overbay is here until he\’s not.