Charles LeClaire — USA Today Sports
There were some surprising cuts on Saturday, which happened to be the deadline for all NFL teams to cut their rosters down to the regular-season size of 53. One of the more initially shocking cuts was the Pittsburgh Steelers getting rid of running back Jonathan Dwyer. After the Steelers allowed running back Rashard Mendenhall to go to the Arizona Cardinals in the offseason, Dwyer was looking like a safe bet to be on the roster once the regular season came.
Dwyer was the team’s leading rusher last season, and was a bruising back much like former Steelers’ great Jerome Bettis. The Steelers did draft Le’Veon Bell in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft, but that appeared to be a replacement for Mendenhall. When Bell got hurt in a preseason game, the Steelers quickly went out and acquired running back Felix Jones. Already with Bell and Isaac Redman, the addition of Jones started the unexpected writing on the wall for Dwyer.
Dwyer is now a free agent and should be looking for the perfect fit, whether that is a permanent fit or a temporary fit. A temporary fit that seems perfect for Dwyer is with the New York Giants. The Giants just lost running back Andre Brown to another broken leg. However, he’s expected to be out until Week 10, so that is not good news for the Giants.
Still, this is the second time Brown has broken that left leg, which is a troublesome sign. The Giants now need a running back who can run in between the tackles when starter David Wilson gets a breather. The Giants have Da’Rel Scott and Michael Cox on the team, though, neither of them are bruising backs, so the Giants could use one.
The Giants do not have any problems with their backfield, so it’s unlikely they’ll make a move. However, if they are looking for someone to replace Brown temporarily, they should look to Dwyer.
