Dwyer was under a lot of criticism this spring for appearing to be overweight at OTA’s. Not helping that perception, Isaac Redman was looking to be in the best shape of his career. It goes without saying that during an offseason when the team spends a second round pick on a back like Le’veon Bell, you want to show up looking hungry and indispensable if you’re a Restricted Free Agent.

Dwyer rebutted critics by saying that he was the same weight last spring. As summer pressed on, Dwyer grew tired of being asked about his weight.

“To be honest, man, I’m tired of defending myself,” Dwyer told Dejan  Kovacevic last month “I just want to get on the field and let my play do the talking. When you see me in Latrobe, you’ll be smiling ear to ear. I know I’ll be in shape to be successful.”

Being scrutinized over weight is nothing new for Dywer. His draft stock fell sharply in 2010 due to weight issues, and few could forget how he found himself in the doghouse after showing up to camp in 2011 weighing 240.

Last year, he trained in Florida at Bommarito Performance Systems with Brown and Timmons, and the hard work paid off.  He showed up to camp looking like a running back who was ready to compete, and went on to have back to back 100+ yard rushing games in the first half of the season.

He was down there again this month, training with big name backs like Forte and Jones-Drew, and has been fairly “vocal” about silencing his critics.

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It certainly appears that he’s been motivated this offseason. One thing’s for sure, the competition at the running back position will be intense in Latrobe this year. Who do you think is the odd man out? Let us know in the forum: http://thesteelersfans.com/forums/showthread.php?6629-Who-would-you-keep-Dwyer-or-Redman