Pittsburgh Steelers: The Practicing 10
By Harv Aronson
Welcome back to the Pittsburgh Steelers practice squad are the fortunate 10 players signed on Sunday.
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The lucky 10 are running back Dominique Brown, defensive back Jordan Dangerfield, offensive linemen Reese Dismukes and Antonio Johnson, linebackers L.J. Fort and Shayon Green, defensive end Ethan Hemer, wide receivers Shakim Phillips and Jarrod West, and tight end Harold Spears.
After naming their practice squad members, the Steelers opened a few eyes by releasing Doran Grant , a fourth round draft pick in this year’s draft. The cutting of Grant came as a result of Pittsburgh signing free agent running back Jordan Todman who automatically goes to the active roster. Grant had been unimpressive in the preseason and Mike Tomlin needed more depth at running back.
Todman was a sixth round draft choice by the San Diego Chargers in 2011 but has been on two other teams since, Minnesota and Jacksonville. In 2014, Jordan Todman rushed for 186 yards on 32 carries as a Jaguar and 256 yards the year before on 76 tries.
Another 2015 draft pick Anthony Chickillo has also fallen by the wayside as a result of being a roster cut. Taking his place via the waiver wire is former Tampa Bay Buc Caushaud Lyons, a 2015 rookie. Lyons played his college ball at tiny Tusculum College. This preseason, Lyons made four tackles and had one sack.
The practice squad can change often and a lot throughout the season. Within the NFL, rules allow teams to pick players off another squad’s practice roster. The practice squads serve mainly as an insurance policy for when a player gets injured from the regular roster. It can also serve as substitution for players not having much success during the season.
For now, those 10 players making up the practice squad for the Pittsburgh Steelers have had their NFL careers extended for the time being. It’s a life support until they are deemed replaceable or until next year’s training camp.
UPDATE: This just in from the Steelers Twitter account…
We have signed OL Barrett Jones to the practice squad, and released OL Reese Dismukes.
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) September 7, 2015
TRANSACTIONS: http://t.co/yoGQBMuCTz
Next: Steelers: Reviewing Final Roater Cuts