Backroom Buzz
By Jerry DiPaola

Cutting Board

The Steelers must decide what to do with several highly paid veterans, including CBs Chad Scott and Dewayne Washington, OLB Jason Gildon, TE Mark Bruener, TBs Jerome Bettis and Amos Zereoue, and DBs Mike Logan and Brent Alexander.

Some cuts are possible, and even probable, but you can't cut everyone.

Cutting both Scott and Washington would save nearly $5 million under the salary cap, but it would put Kevin Colbert in a bad position entering the draft.

Losing both corners would likely force the Steelers to either overpay for a veteran in free agency or force the team to draft one in the first round. Colbert likes options in the draft.

A team never can have too many cornerbacks, and getting rid of both hurts depth at that position.

Cutting Gildon sounds like a good idea, but is Clark Haggans, an unrestricted free agent, or Alonzo Jackson who wasn't even trusted to play special teams in his rookie season ready to move into the critically important outside linebacker position?

What about Bettis and Zereoue? They count about $6.5 million on the cap this year. One has to go. But, again, cutting both may force the Steelers to reach too carelessly for replacements.

Don't expect many major releases before March 3, although they must make some to get under the proposed $78.1 million salary cap. The major cuts will likely come after June 1.

On The Market

Of the eight Steelers who will become unrestricted free agents, only two are starters. Strong safety Mike Logan is one, and the team is prepared to replace him with No. 1 draft choice Troy Polamalu.

The other is fullback Dan Kreider, whom the Steelers would like to have back. They won't break the bank to make it happen, however.

There are several players coming out of college who closely resemble Kreider's style of play, including Pitt fullback Lousaka Polite, who played in the Senior Bowl last month. Polite might even be a more athletic if inexperienced version of Kreider.

The other unrestricteds are long snapper Mike Schneck, NT Kendrick Clancy, TE Matt Cushing, WR Chris Doering, OT Barrett Brooks and OLB Clark Haggans.

The Steelers won't spend a lot of money in free agency, but they probably should take a look at Philadelphia Eagles' starting cornerbacks Bobby Taylor and Troy Vincent, both of whom are UFAs and are not expected to return to Philadelphia.

Draft Rumblings

If the Steelers are looking for a long-term alternative to Tommy Maddox, they probably won't be able to find it in the first round of the draft.

The best quarterbacks coming out of college are Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger, but trading up from the 11th spot in the first round to get them might require an expenditure of three or four high draft choices over the next two years. That would scuttle the Steelers' rebuilding efforts.

Perhaps trading down in the first round to get multiple picks and maybe take a shot at North Carolina State quarterback Phillip Rivers is the way to go. The Steelers have many needs, and they will have to use the draft and free agency to meet them.