Chris

Kemoeatu

Legursky dislocated his toe in the first quarter last week and will be out at least a few weeks. The good news for the Steelers is that they are expected to get Chris Kemoeatu (knee) back this week. The offense shouldn’t be affected, especially with a dream matchup in Arizona on tap.

The Steelers have dropped from the sixth-oldest NFL roster to the middle of the pack following the releases of Kemoeatu, Hines Ward, and Aaron Smith. They’ve also freed up $41.67 million in salary cap dollars since the beginning of the offseason. One of the Steelers’ top linemen in 2008-2009, knee injuries have turned Kemoeatu into an ineffective penalty machine the past two seasons. After losing his starting job, the 29-year-old was due $3.577 million in 2012.

Keep in mind this news comes from Kemoeatu’s agent. If the teams were seriously interested, they would have scheduled a visit by now. Kemoeatu does have coaching staff ties in Indy (Bruce Arians) and Arizona (Russ Grimm).

Normal LG Doug Legursky is sliding over to center in the absence of Maurkice Pouncey. Kemoeatu’s presence in the lineup is bad news for a team missing its starting running back and dealing with a hobbled quarterback, as he graded out as one of the worst guards in football this season by Pro Football Focus. He’s a blown assignment or false start penalty waiting to happen.

Already benched once earlier this season, Kemoeatu got a reprieve in Thursday’s win after Maurkice Pouncey suffered a high-ankle sprain. He made his presence felt in all the wrong ways, however, committing three penalties while fouling up a goal-line plunge. Even if Pouncey remains sidelined, Trai Essex is expected to get the start at left guard against the 49ers. At this point, it’s fair to wonder if Kemoeatu will see his $3.58 million salary in 2012.

One beat writer tweeted that Pouncey and Ben Roethlisberger both have high-ankle sprains, though we only heard “ankle” on Pouncey from coach Mike Tomlin in the post-game press conference. Chris Kemoeatu turned in another mistake-filled game in relief, so it’s important to have Pouncey back with a big game on the horizon.

Kemoeatu turned in a disastrous season while playing through a nagging knee injury, and Scott lost his job to rookie Marcus Gilbert. At $25 million over the cap -- according to team president Art Rooney II -- the Steelers can save $2.4 million on Kemoeatu, $2.2 million on Scott, and $2.5 million on McFadden. NT Casey Hampton (partially torn ACL) and ILB James Farrior are also on the bubble.

The coaching staff made the move based on performance. Kemo has been playing through a significant knee injury that will require offseason surgery, so that’s probably had a lot to do with it. Going forward, the Steelers will trot out Max Starks at left tackle, Legursky at left guard, Maurkice Pouncey at center, Ramon Foster at right guard, and Marcus Gilbert at right tackle.

Kemoeatu has been battling a knee injury, which is a concern after battling arthritis throughout the summer. Ramon Foster will likely take his place. Rashard Mendenhall remains a must-start, but don’t be surprised if he doesn’t come through with a huge game. Seattle’s run defense has been stout with Red Bryant in the lineup. William Gay is expected to fill in for McFadden.

Doug Legursky will switch sides to left guard while Ramon Foster starts a second straight game at right guard. The Steelers will continue with the combination of William Gay and Keenan Lewis opposite shadow corner Ike Taylor.