Steelers make several cuts ahead of deadline to finalize 53-man roster

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- It's deadline day for the Steelers to trim their roster down to 53 players and yesterday, the team made a number of cuts to help get closer to that number.

The team let go of a total of eight players on Monday -- five from the offensive side and three on the defensive side.

They still have roughly 30 more cuts to make by the deadline of 4 p.m. today.

Some of the players on the bubble include John Rhys Plumlee, who is listed as a quarterback, but spent time working as a returner during the team's final preseason game and has been practicing with the wide receivers.

Another player on the bubble on the offensive side of the ball is running back Jonathan Ward.

The team's running back room has a lot of talent and experience and Ward says he's thankful for the opportunity to be here in Pittsburgh.

The team's wide receiver room also has a good bit of talent and experience, putting players like Dez Fitzpatrick on the bubble, as well.

With players like George Pickens, Calvin Austin, and Van Jefferson leading the way and others like Scotty Miller and Quez Watkins in the room, Dez Fitzpatrick says he's learning a lot of them.

Fitzpatrick says he thinks he's grown a lot since OTAs and feels pretty good about how he can contribute to the team.

The team has a week off before the regular season gets underway in early September.

The Steelers will kick off their season on September 8 when they travel to Atlanta to face the Falcons.