Roster Trimmed To 79
The Steelers made a round of cuts and released eight players, bringing the current roster down to 79. The next round of cuts will need to take place on Tuesday Aug. 30th by 4pm, bringing the team count down to 75 players. In addition to shaving the roster, the Steelers also placed fourth round pick Jerald Hawkins on injured reserve, a move that at least for now will keep him as part of the team moving forward.
Hawkins was selected by the Steelers in the 2016 draft after being a three year starter at LSU, at six-six three hundred and five pounds, he showed much promise as someone who could potentially compete for the starting left tackle position.
His technique is pretty advanced for a young player, his athletic ability during his College playing time seemed a good fit transitioning into the pro game. We suspect the Steelers feel he possess future potential and we certainly hope things will work out for him as we have strong feelings for his abilities. Also waived was quarterback Dustin Vaughn.
Below is a list of the released players:
- Linebacker Jordan Zumwalt
- Linebacker Mike Reilly
- Tight End Levi Norwood
- Wide Receiver Isaac Blakeney
- Tight End Michael Cooper
- Defensive End Giorgio Newberry
- Defensive Tackle K.K. Mosley-Smith
- Cornerback Julian Whigham
The final cuts will take place after gamer four of the preseason when the roster will need to go down from seventy five players to the final fifty three man roster, then of course it’s onto the regular season and time to get this party started.
