Steelers Free Agent Focus: Justin Kapinos

Justin Kapinos lost his roster spot to rookie Drew Butler at the end of the Steelers 2012 preseason. The Steelers waived the injured Kapinos, and when no one claimed him his rights reverted back to the Steelers making him a restricted free agent.

What does all that mean?

• Absolutely nothing.

The Steelers should not and most assuredly will not offer Kapinos a restricted free agent tender.

Make no mistake. Kapinos did a stint with the Steelers in 2010 and punted well enough then that it was surprising that he was available when Daniel Sepulveda got injured again in 2011. Which is not to say he was the second coming of Josh Miller.

Taking Kapinos to training camp would be a wise move. Tying up salary cap space, even temporarily, in order to do that would not.

• Expect the Steelers to do the wise thing with Kapinos.

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Steelers Cut Tony Hills, Crezdon Butler, Jeremy Kapinos, John Gilmore, and Jarrett Crittenton

The 2011 Pittsburgh Steelers final roster cuts are in. To get to 53 men, the Steelers cut punter Jeremy Kapinos, veteran tight end John Gilmore, undrafted rooke free agent Jarrett Crittenton and in two surprise moves, veteran guard/tackle Tony Hills and sophmore cornerback Crezdon Butler.



The departure of Butler is surprising because he recently had a strong preseason outing against Atlanta, although he had a difficult night against Carolina.



Daniel Sepulveda will again start the season as the Steelers punter. The Steelers have flirtered with letting him go for some time, but just can't seem to pull the trigger -- even a moster performance in preseason by Kapinos couldn't pus them to do it.



The move to cut Tony Hills draws even more surprises, given that Hills was in contention for the starting right guard spot just a week ago.



John Gilmore's departure is less of a surprise and amounts to a huge vote of confidence for Weslye Saunders.



Practice Squad Candidates?



The Steelers will most certainly attempt to bring Crezdon Butler back via the practices squad.



It will be interesting to see if Tony Hills makes the practice squad. Although drafted in the 4th round of the 2008 NFL draft, Tony Hills has only played in 3 NFL games, which may leave him eligible for the practice squad.



The Steelers can sign 8 players to the practice squad and may begin doing so tomorrow.



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Steelers Cut Ivy, Warren, Bryant, Williams and Grisham – 5 More Face Ax

The Steelers cut 21 players today, paring their roster down to 58. 5 more cuts must be made by tomorrow night. Topping the cuts were:

• Linebacker Mortty Ivy
• Defensive lineman Crobin Bryant
• Cornerbacks Donavan Warren and Da’Mon Cromartie-Smith
• Offesinve tackle Kyle Jolly and Keith Williams
• Wide Reciever Tyler Grisham

Also cute were: Baraka Atkins, Mario Harvey, Chris McCoy, Brett Greenwood, Macho Harris, Colin Miller, Armand Robinson, Wes Lyons, Jamie McCoy and Swayze Waters.



Candidates for the Steelers Practice Squad?



Mortty Ivy, Crobin Bryant, Dovanan Warren and this year’s 6th round pick Keith Williams are all likely practice squad candidates.



Tyler Grisham and Kyle Jolly spent time on the Steelers practice squad in previous seasons and could conceivably be back.



Who Do the Steelers Cut Next?



The Steelers still need to make five more moves. Word is that Steve McClendon is pushing Chris Hoke for a roster spot, and Justin Kaprios could very well likely spell the end of Daniel Sepulveda.



Likewise, Keenan Lewis might find himself being asked to return his playbook. Either way, the Steelers coaches will make some tough choices in the next 24 hours which, while unplesant, is a good problem to have.



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