Steelers cut Troy Smith

The Pittsburgh Steelers announced yesterday via Twitter that they have cut 4^th string quarterback and former Heisman trophy winner Troy Smith. The Steelers had signed Smith to a futures contract in January.

The decision to sign Smith surprised some, but was quite understandable as Bryon Leftwich, Charlie Batch, and Dennis Dixon were all unrestricted free agents heading into the off season. Both Leftwich and Batch have since resigned with the Steelers.

Smith had worked out with the team throughout the off season, including OTA’s and Minicamp.

Saved by the Bell….

Anyone who (that is anyone who works a full time job) has their own site about their favorite sports team can tell you, one of the biggest frustrations is having more ideas than you have time to write about.

Sometimes, however, that is a blessing.

I know little of Troy Smith, other than he’s bounced around the league for a few years in spite of his strong college pedigree. Yet, a recently published story on Smith in the Post-Gazette, combined with tales form PG Plus about his arm strength got me thinking that perhaps Kevin Colbert and Mike Tomlin had brought Smith as more than insurance.

According to press reports, the Steelers actively want to groom a young signal caller to be Ben Roethlisberger’s back up. They didn’t draft a quarterback in the 2012 NFL Draft, seemingly leaving room for Troy Smith to win a job in camp.

Or so my article was about to argue.  Sometimes being too busy to write is a blessing.

Daylight for Dennis Dixon….?

Smith’s departure brings the number of experienced quarterbacks on the Steelers roster to 3. They traditionally bring four to camp to keep everyone fresh.

Dennis Dixon, the team’s 5^th round pick in the 2008 NFL Draft had expected (or at least hoped) to cash in during free agency.

The first two rounds of free agency are over and the draft has come and gone and no one has called Dennis Dixon’s number.

This amounts to pure speculation on the part of Steel Curtain Rising, but one has to wonder if letting Smith go opens up a slot for the team to give Dennis Dixon a chance to win a spot in camp.

That prospect is not entirely likely, as Dixon was unhappy with his role last year and made noises about being traded, but the possibility remains.

Thanks for visiting. Click here for the rest of Steel Curtain Rising or here to see our Steelers 2012 Free Agent Focus.