The Steelers Kent Graham drops back against the Lions' in the fourth quarter Aug. 25. (Chaz Palla/Tribune-Review)

Quarterback Kent Graham's brief Steelers career came to a practical, if not official, end Friday when the team admitted that it is trying to trade him. Failing that, coach Bill Cowher said he will release Graham before the NFL cutdown deadline at 4 p.m. Sunday.

That was the expected news.

Graham had played sparingly in the preseason and clearly was not in the team's plans this summer.

The more revealing development is that Tommy Maddox, the XFL MVP and a player rejected by four NFL teams in a previously unfulfilling professional career, steadily is crawling up the Steelers' quarterback ladder and could be the No. 1 backup to Kordell Stewart by the middle of next week.

Asked if second-year player Tee Martin will be the team's top backup, Cowher said, "I'm not ready to make that statement."

Then, can Maddox be chosen for the job?

"Oh, yeah," said Cowher, reserving the right to wait until practice resumes Wednesday before finally making up his mind.

What Cowher did make official was the release of nine players, including two rookie draft choices and six veterans. With 58 players remaining on the roster, including Graham, the Steelers must announce five more moves by Sunday.

Among those cut were linebacker Roger Knight, the Steelers' second sixth-round draft choice this year, wide receiver Chris Taylor, the seventh-round pick, and undrafted rookie wide receiver Tim Baker, who could end up on the practice squad.

Veterans let go were nine-year offensive linemen Tom Myslinski (a guard/center) and Larry Tharpe (a tackle), eight-year running back Ron Rivers, six-year defensive end Chris Sullivan, cornerback Payton Williams and fullback Ron Janes.

"This is probably one of the toughest days I've had since I've been here," Cowher said. "There are some good kids that I've had to say goodbye to and it has not been easy."

Cowher said he agonized over several cuts, failing to get a good night's sleep after returning home yesterday morning from the final preseason game. He said the decision to cut Graham did not involve his $1.4 million salary for the 2001 season. Instead, it was Graham's inability to move significantly ahead of Maddox or Martin, according to Cowher.

"I didn't see enough separation between Kent and the other two to warrant keeping him," Cowher said. "Nothing against (Graham), I think Tommy Maddox has had a tremendous camp. He has been very solid. I feel very comfortable with his experience. I like the way he has performed in the games."

Maddox actually outplayed Martin, completing 19 of 35 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns. Martin, who was sacked four times by the Buffalo Bills on Thursday night, was 16 for 37 for 135 yards and one touchdown.

"Watching Tee, I don't think it was his best game (Thursday), but certainly, he flashed some things (throughout the preseason). I think he's making progress. I do," the Steelers coach said.

Maddox and running back John Avery were two XFL players that the Steelers considered signing when the league folded, Cowher said.

"I really liked the workout, and I liked his demeanor," Cowher said. "He was kind of behind the 8-ball a little bit because he hadn't gone through any minicamp. Really, the first day of training camp was his first day here.

"He was a little sporadic (early in camp), but you saw enough that you said, `Wow.' He got more comfortable as camp went on."

Maddox, who was a first-round draft pick of the Denver Broncos as a 20-year-old, said he "respects and admires" the game more than he did when he came out of UCLA in 1992.

Cowher admitted that there is risk involved in cutting Graham, who started the 2000 season as the Steelers' starter and might have remained so if not for an injury.

"Is this the right move?" Cowher said. "I guess time will tell. I've given it a lot of thought, and this is the best decision for this football team considering where we are right now."

There are handful of teams that are in the market for backup quarterbacks, including the Carolina Panthers, Washington Redskins and Cincinnati Bengals, who lost Scott Mitchell for about six weeks with a high ankle sprain.

Releasing Myslinski and Tharpe is an indication that the Steelers want to start developing young offensive linemen, including draft picks Mathias Nkwenti and Chukky Okobi and undrafted Keydrick Vincent, whose emergence forced Myslinski off the roster.

"(Young offensive linemen) are hard to find, and at some point, you have to be able to make that transition," Cowher said. "The guy probably with the least amount of experience is Nkwenti. He has a ways to go. He has flashed enough ability that it's going to be important for him to work through the course of this year. We like the potential he has, because guys like that with size and athletic ability are hard to find."

Cowher said Vincent "opened a lot of eyes" with his size (325 pounds) and an ability to fill in at tackle in an emergency.

Myslinski has been with eight NFL teams, including two stints each with the Dallas Cowboys and Steelers, but he leaves with his head held high.

"I'm proud because I did the best I can," he said. "I'm not ashamed at all for being released. It was his (Cowher's) personal decision. It's his opinion. All coaches have different opinions. This is actually the happiest I've ever been when I have been released because I know I did the best I could.

"I know how I played, and I know what I can do."

NOTES: Fullback Jon Witman (back) said he will resume practicing next week. ... Fullback Dan Kreider will workout for Cowher on Sunday to determine the extent of his recovery from his calf injury. ... The Steelers are off today and tomorrow before returning to work Monday to prepare for the regular-season opener in Jacksonville on Sept. 9. ... Tight end Cory Geason, who was injured Thursday night, has a partial tear of the plantar fascia ligament in his foot, but he is expected to fully recover by the second week of the regular season. ... Former Steelers offensive lineman Justin Strzelczyk worked out recently for the Bills.

SHORT

Steelers defensive end Aaron Smith might be a marked man in Buffalo. Smith sacked Bills quarterback Rob Johnson in the first quarter Thursday night but yanked off Johnson's helmet by the facemask in the process.

Smith was penalized 15 yards, but that wasn't enough to satisfy Johnson.

"That was pretty bad," he said. "For a preseason game, to keep hold of the facemask like he did. We'll remember those plays."

The Steelers play the Bills Sept. 30 in Buffalo.

Johnson said he suffered no significant injury on the play, but he added, "He grabbed my nose in there, and it kind of hurt a little bit."

Smith said he was "sorry" if he hurt Johnson, but he added, "I can't do anything about how he interprets it. It wasn't intentional. I was just trying to grab his shoulder. I'm just playing hard."