With Charlie Batch recovering from a broken collarbone and the final roster cuts coming up, the Steelers could be entering the 2008 NFL season with four quarterbacks on the roster.

The final decision could be driven by the ability of Byron Leftwich to get the team’s attention when he gets the majority of the work in the team’s preseason finale.

If Leftwich looks good, the Steelers could keep him, Batch, and rookie Dennis Dixon as the backups to Ben Roethlisberger.

The Steelers probably would like to carry Dixon on the practice squad, but they’d have to cut him to do so, and he’d likely be gobbled up by another team via the waivers system.

The other possibility is to place Batch on injured reserve, or to flat-out cut him.

Before the question of whether Batch’s broken collarbone might cost him a job becomes relevant, the Steelers must conclude that they want Leftwich to be the top backup to Big Ben.

“I think we have to gather all the information based on the quality of play and the health of Charlie, in terms of what direction we will go,” coach Mike Tomlin said.  “We will hold our cards until necessary.”