Pittsburgh Steelers: 3 Standouts vs. Panthers in Preseason Week 4

Tuzar Skipper, LB

You might be tired of listening to me rave about Tuzar Skipper, but this might be the last time we hear about him for a while. Skipper is the definition of a roster bubble player. The Steelers have a lot of depth at linebacker right now, especially since they’ve drafted, extended and signed players at the position this offseason. However, Skipper has put together arguably the best preseason of any player on the team. It’s hard to argue against his production.

Through the first three weeks of the preseason, Skipper recorded a sack in each game. When Mike Tomlin challenged Skipper by giving him more meaningful minutes against better players, the undrafted rookie from Toledo rose to the challenge. He took another step toward making the active roster Thursday night.

Against the Carolina Panthers, Skipper recorded eight combined tackles, two sacks, a tackle for loss, a forced fumble and a quarterback hit. He led both teams in tackles and brought his preseason sack total up to five, which is the most by any defender in the preseason this year.

While Skipper submitted his final argument on Thursday night, so did Robert Spillane. Spillane went undrafted in 2018 and spent part of the season with the Tennessee Titans. During the playing time he’s received, Spillane has played well, but likely not well enough to make the roster. He finished Thursday’s game with six combined tackles and a sack.

Linebacker, Jayrone Elliott also had an impressive game against the Panthers. While he won’t be making Pittsburgh’s roster, Elliott stripped Will Grier when the Panthers were close to scoring a touchdown and returned it for a defensive score. He finished the night with five combined tackles and that touchdown.