Peter Diana, Post-Gazette The Steelers need help at the corner. Ahmed Plummer is one of a healthy group of cornerbacks on the market. Click photo for larger image. More NFL coverage NFL Notebook: An owner keeps Arena ball out in the cold here

The NFL will have its own version of Mardi Gras this week with players parading in and out of rosters in readiness for free agency, which starts Wednesday.

It begins with cut-the-fat Tuesday, the last day before teams must be under the new $80.5 million salary cap. The Steelers jumped the gun Friday, when they released veterans Mark Bruener and Dewayne Washington, but they could make more moves by Tuesday, along with other NFL teams who will shed veterans and their hefty contracts that day.

The Steelers could release running back Amos Zereoue by Tuesday if they do not believe they can trade him, although they might also wait longer. They are negotiating to reduce the $3.7 million salary of running back Jerome Bettis and have reworked the deals of offensive tackle Marvel Smith and linebacker Joey Porter to create more cap room for 2004. It's also possible they will ask linebacker Jason Gildon to take a cut from his salary of $3.65 million as they go along in free agency.

Kevin Colbert, the Steelers' director of football operations, said the team ultimately will have enough room to shop for free agents in addition to signing their own.

"We'll have the availability to participate," he said. "You never know [to what extent] until you start seeing what happens. You want to go in and feel you're going to be competitive, and we'll go into it with that kind of idea."

Fortunately for the Steelers, a wealth of free-agent cornerbacks will flood the market. They want to improve that position by acquiring someone with better coverage skills than those they have, and the law of supply and demand could help them lower the price of signing one.

Among the cornerbacks expected to become available as unrestricted free agents Wednesday are Troy Vincent, Bobby Taylor, Ahmed Plummer, Antoine Winfield, Jason Webster and Shawn Springs. Others could be released for cap reasons.

The available crop is much thinner at other positions of need for the Steelers, specifically offensive tackle and running back. John Tait would fill their right tackle spot nicely, but the Chiefs made him their "transition" player, giving them the right to match any offer. And Tait will command a signing bonus of at least $10 million.

The Steelers aren't likely to get a top-flight tackle in the draft, either, which means they are looking at the status quo at right tackle in Oliver Ross/Todd Fordham, signing a midrange free-agent tackle, drafting a rookie after the first round, or having someone emerge such as Mathias Nkwenti, one of their restricted free agents who enters his fourth season in the NFL.

The offensive line might not be as much of a concern as some other positions for the Steelers, who believe the health of Marvel Smith and guard Kendall Simmons were the root of much of the problems there last season.

"We didn't have Marvel down the stretch, but the more that unit played together, once it solidified, it played pretty well down the stretch," Colbert said.

The Steelers want to beef up their ground game and the backs who will carry it, and the draft appears to be the most attractive option. Picking at No. 11, they might have their choice of the two backs considered the best in this draft, Steven Jackson of Oregon State or Kevin Jones of Virginia Tech, both juniors. They also will seek a third-down back to replace Zereoue, although Verron Haynes has shown some potential there. The quality and quantity of backs in free agency is not good.

"There's not a lot that are going to be available in free agency," Colbert said. "But there's going to be another wave of players who get cut in March, and in June. So, at this point, while there's not a lot of depth at the position in free agency, that may change."

The Steelers have no plans to trade for a veteran quarterback or to sign one in free agency, which eliminates various rumors including one involving Patrick Ramsey. They would like to choose a quarterback on the first day of the draft, possibly even in the first round, and develop him as a future starter. Colbert said they have no interest in trading with Houston for the rights to Drew Henson, but they might consider him if he goes back into the draft. That is one reason the Steelers scouted his workout in Houston early this month.

"He could be just like a draft pick when it's all said and done, so we have to look at that," Colbert said. "The reality of it is, he may be like the other quarterbacks in the draft ... then you have to treat him like a draft pick."

Colbert maintains that the Steelers' priority is to sign their own free agents. They have been talking to linebacker Clark Haggans, fullback Dan Kreider, safety Mike Logan and long-snapper Mike Schneck. They would become unrestricted free agents Wednesday.

Haggans is their only experienced backup outside linebacker, but he wants a chance to compete for a starting job. Kreider is their only true fullback. Tight end Matt Cushing, also an unrestricted free agent, backs him up. Troy Polamalu likely will replace Logan at strong safety, but Logan could get a chance at unseating Brent Alexander at free safety.

They also tendered one-year deals to each of their six restricted free agents.

They won't say it, but the Steelers silently welcomed the addition of Southern California sophomore receiver Mike Williams to the draft. He's a top 10 pick, which will make one more good player available to them, provided they stay at No. 11 in the first round.

"I feel very confident we'll get someone really good in the first round," Colbert said. "We're probably looking at a different caliber of player [than last year, when they traded 11 spots to move up to No. 16]. I'm very confident that there's enough good players. It's a very good draft overall. It's very strong. I'm optimistic."