On July 27th, the Pittsburgh Steelers will host their first training camp. Expectations are high for some and low for others. The Steelers have a well-in-depth roster, but that doesn’t mean everyone is safe. For the ones that the Steelers will have to cut, there could be some surprises. Maybe veterans, some new guys, or those picked up in free agency? Who knows what will happen when the time comes?
However, three players that could get their names on the list of cuts are these three possible subjects:
#1: Kendrick Green
Kendrick Green has had a rough career up to this point. In his rookie season, many expectations were on him after the retirement of veteran center Maurkice Pouncey, and it didn’t help that he wore Pouncey’s number and couldn’t back it up in his first year. He was the primary starting center in a rebuilding year for the offensive line, and it was a rough season for at-the-time QB Ben Roethlisberger, who was sacked at least once every game.
Green would allow three sacks, four QB hits, and eleven hurries in his rookie year, and since then, Green hasn’t played a regular-season snap. He switched positions to guard instead of center so that a change could help out, but with how his 2022 preseason went, fans should expect little. The only thing fans should expect is for Green to be off the roster here soon.
Steelers OG Kendrick Green (53) – Justin Casterline/Getty Images
#2: Dan Moore Jr.
Say what you will about Dan Moore. He’s been a good team player for the Steelers since being drafted in 2021. He’s had minor to no injuries, played every snap asked, and never got into off-season trouble. But his play in 2022 needed to be more consistent. He can be good, but with the Steelers trying to revolve the offense around QB Kenny Pickett, the Steelers top priority should be to protect him, especially since he suffered two concussions last year. And with the Steelers drafting first-round offensive tackle Broderick Jones, changing the guard (or tackle) is almost imminent.
It’s not written in stone yet because Moore can try to improve and start over Jones for a while, but Jones’s time will come eventually. It will be a good training camp battle to watch, but if Moore can’t improve and Jones shows why he was the first-round selection, it can be hard to see Moore sticking around for long.
Steelers OT Dan Moore Jr. (65) – Charles LeClaire/USA TODAY Sports
#3: Mason Rudolph
Mason Rudolph has an interesting relationship with the Steelers and Steelers fans alike. Many people don’t want him anywhere near the football during the game, and many feel he never got a fair shot. Both sides have points, but that says much about Rudolph’s career because he can be good but only stay good for a while. Rudolph has expressed dissatisfaction with the organization the past year with him not being in the QB battle between Mitchell Trubisky and Kenny Pickett despite Rudolph having the better preseason and training camp. But to everyone’s surprise, Rudolph was re-signed to a one-year deal and will return for one more year.
But the Steelers could decide to swerve everyone and move on from Rudolph in training camp or after the preseason. Or they could try to trade away Rudolph for a team needing QB depth. But the Steelers have trust issues with letting Rudolph on the field, so a release would be good on both sides, with Rudolph wanting to be more than a clipboard holder. Rudolph would get a fresh start with another team and be able to try to have a more prominent role with another club, and the Steelers could save a million in cap and try to get another QB to develop under their system. Both sides would benefit from this.
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