Three Steelers that have to perform in preseason Week 3 at Atlanta Falcons
In their last chance to prove their value to the Pittsburgh Steelers, there will be many players going all out on Thursday night in Atlanta. Whether it be aiming to make the roster, or battling for a starting spot, the range of outcomes is far and wide for the majority of the 90-man roster. But […]
In their last chance to prove their value to the Pittsburgh Steelers, there will be many players going all out on Thursday night in Atlanta.
Whether it be aiming to make the roster, or battling for a starting spot, the range of outcomes is far and wide for the majority of the 90-man roster.
But here are three players with the most riding on the third and final game of the preseason:
DB Elijah Riley
Riley went from what many believed to be a longshot to make the roster, to now one game away from cementing himself as the team's starting nickel or slot corner. He has been active on special teams, but more importantly, he has shown the ability to make plays on the football:
DB Chandon Sullivan:
The very man that Riley will be battling for the starting spot, Sullivan has the higher pedigree in terms of NFL play, and has had a great camp himself, including a terrific interception against the Bills last Saturday:
And as if this battle needed any more hype, Steelers HC Mike Tomlin and DC Teryl Austin weighed in on the completion, basically telling you that you need to get your popcorn ready:
"It's been tight. Both guys have been above the line," Coach T told reporters on behalf of Riley and Sullivan's battle. "Both guys have made splash plays and so we'll continue to rotate them in this last opportunity."
"I think those guys are both making a case that they belong," DC Teryl Austin told reporters. "They've each made some plays. They've each shown improvement which is what I'm really looking for. And they've each shown improvement from game one to game two. And so, we'll see how it plays out here. I think it's still a tight competition that's going to go down to the wire and we'll see how that shakes out after these three games."
CB Joey Porter Jr.
Joey Porter Jr. is obviously at no risk of losing his job, but one of the veterans in front of him may be.
Coach Tomlin said that they "saved" Porter Jr. for this week's contest in Atlanta, and he even received first-team reps during practice this week.
Maybe that's just in an effort to give the veterans some rest, but if Porter puts together back-to-back stellar performances, and does so with more playing time, he may just stick in the starting lineup.
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