The Steelers have until 4:00 pm on August 30th to trim their roster down to the final 53. Here is my final roster prediction.

Quarterbacks (3)

Ben Roethlisberger
Bruce Gradkowski
Landry Jones

I could see the team waiving Jones and signing him to the practice squad, but I don’t think they will.

Running Backs (4)

Le’Veon Bell
LeGarrette Blount
Will Johnson
Dri Archer

No real surprises here. I don’t see the team disciplining either of the 2 LB RBs, so I don’t think they keep another back, especially since none of them has shown enough to warrant the spot. I expect Tauren Poole to be added to the practice squad, and the position can easily be addressed in free agency if the need arises.

Tight Ends (3)

Heath Miller
Matt Spaeth
Michael Palmer

This could go either way, but I think the team throws in the towel on the David Paulson project.

Wide Receiver (6)

Antonio Brown
Markus Wheaton
Lance Moore
Darrius Heyward-Bey
Martavis Bryant
Justin Brown

There’s some room for error here as Justin Brown is a coin toss, Martavis Bryant has been pretty disappointing in preseason, and DHB hasn’t shown a whole lot aside from hauling in a deep touchdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger against the Eagles. Plays like that were exactly what the Steelers were envisioning when they signed him. Bryant isn’t going to the practice squad, but Justin Brown very well could. Notable cut- Derek Moye.

Offensive Line (8)

Maurkice Pouncey
Kelvin Beachum
Ramon Foster
David DeCastro
Marcus Gilbert
Mike Adams
Cody Wallace
Wesley Johnson

Earlier in the year, I didn’t see Johnson making the roster, but I think the Vanderbilt stand out has shown enough to earn him a spot on the final 53.  If the team goes 9 here, Guy Whimper will be on the list. I see Chris Hubbard landing on the practice squad.

Defensive Line (7)

Cameron Heyward
Steve McLendon
Brett Keisel
Cam Thomas
Stephon Tuitt
Daniel McCullers
Josh Mauro

I think Mauro has shown enough to earn that last spot on the defensive line. While I don’t think McCullers is a roster lock by any means, his upside is greater than that of his peers. Notable cut- Hebron Fangupo.

Linebackers (9)

Jarvis Jones
Ryan Shazier
Lawrence Timmons
Jason Worilds
Arthur Moats
Terence Garvin
Vince Williams
Sean Spence
Vic So’oto

This is probably where I’ll find the most disagreement, but I think Vic So’oto’s play has earned him the last linebacker’s spot. You can’t make the club from the tub, and Jordan Zumwalt has been “in the tub” throughout summer. The team could decide not to move on from Chris Carter, but they should.

Cornerbacks (5)

Ike Taylor
Cortez Allen
William Gay
Antwon Blake
Brice McCain

This one’s pretty easy, though the team would be wise to try to upgrade here via the waiver wire/free agency. Shaq Richardson should have a spot on the practice squad.

Safeties (5)

Troy Polamalu
Mike Mitchell
Will Allen
Shamarko Thomas
Robert Golden

No surprises here.

Specialists (3)

Shaun Suisham
Brad Wing
Greg Warren

Unless Brad Wing is a surgeon in the preseason finale I can’t see him holding his roster spot. Like Drew Butler last year, I see Wing making it past the last round of cuts, only to lose the job shortly after when the team finds an upgrade. The team won’t need to carry 2 long snappers as some had once thought, and with Warren’s recovery time projection, the team could have Luke Ingram or Bryce Davis fill in briefly until he’s 100%.

After the Panthers lost to the Patriots Friday night, Panthers head coach Ron Rivera told the media that he intended to play his starters against the Steelers on Thursday.

“To me it is very evident we’ve got to get (the starters) out there. We’ve got to get our quarterback out there on the field, and he’s got to get some timing with those guys,” Rivera said via the Charlotte Observer. “He missed a couple throws, we had some guys that were open he overthrew, and we’ve just got to continue to work with him. The more snaps he gets, the better.”

Regardless of Rivera’s plan, Newton won’t be facing the Steelers on Thursday now, as it was determined that he has a hairline fracture in his rib.

https://twitter.com/Panthers/status/503644900920135681

With the poor showing by the Steelers first teamers against the Eagles, it wouldn’t necessarily be a bad idea to give them some additional reps during the preseason finale, though, if history is any indicator, the starters will be wearing shorts and t-shirts on the sidelines.