GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Veteran Tim Masthays hold on the Green Bay Packers punting job is secure, at least for now.When the team released rookie Peter Mortell, a Green Bay native trying to win the job as an undrafted free agent, it left the veteran Masthay as the teams lone punter entering Thursdays preseason finale at Kansas City.But Packers coach Mike McCarthy stopped short of declaring Masthay as the teams punter for 2016, even though hes held the job for the previous six seasons.Tim Masthay, hes in the drivers seat, McCarthy said Monday. Its important to have a good week of practice and perform in Kansas City, just like everybody. Its a competition to make your team.Both Masthay and Mortell had nine punts in the Packers first three preseason games. Mortell, who played college ball at Minnesota, averaged 42.0 net yards.Masthay averaged 31.6 net, including one punt he had blocked. But Masthay punted more consistently in practice and had better hang times throughout camp.Still he wasnt celebrating anything Monday.We still have a week left in camp. Final cuts are this Saturday, Masthay said, referring to the final roster cut to 53 players.I guess theres two parts to it. One, I dont feel like Ive won anything yet. And two, Im not here to just win a job. ... Im here to help the Packers win football games.After struggling during the second half of the 2014 season, Masthay set a Packers franchise record with a 40.2-yard net average last season, the fifth time since he won the job as a free agent in 2010 that hed set the team record in that category.Although he was inconsistent in the teams season-ending loss to Arizona in the playoffs, Masthay was at his best down the stretch last season, averaging 44.9 net yards per punt in December.Masthay said he went into the offseason knowing hed face competition in training camp, and he emphasized Monday after Mortells release that he still is competing.In 2008, the Packers kept incumbent punter Jon Ryan at the final cutdown, then decided to release him just days before the regular-season opener.In addition to Mortell, the Packers also announced the release of defensive tackle Demetris Anderson, cornerback Randall Jette, wide receiver Jamel Johnson, linebacker Derrick Mathews and wide receiver Ed Williams.With 82 players on the roster, the Packers will have to make seven more moves to get down to the NFL-mandated 75-player roster limit by Tuesdays deadline. 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Thousands of fans at Mosaic Stadium will be cozying up to each other in an effort to stay warm in chilly temperatures and block the Prairie wind that locals say can knock your socks off. PITTSBURGH -- The Steelers difficult season just got worse.Defensive end Cameron Heyward (pectoral injury) said on his official Instagram account that he will miss the remainder of the 2016 season. A source said Heyward has a torn pectoral muscle that will likely require surgery. He suffered the injury in Sundays 35-30 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.The news about Heyward came shortly after Steelers coach Mike Tomlin announced that wide receiver Sammie Coates has been dealing with two broken fingers, which helps to explain his declining production.Tomlin on Tuesday cited Coates broken fingers on his hand limiting his ability as a wide receiver, and a source says Coates has fractured ring and index fingers on the same left hand, including tendon damage. He hurt the index finger in Week 5 against the New York Jets, and he fractured the ring finger in a later game.Heyward, a team captain who signed a six-year, $59-million extension in 2015, played his first 85 career NFL games without injury issues. This year, he will miss nine games with a hamstring injury and now pectoral injury.I would like to thank everyone who has been in my corner this season, Heyward wrote on Instagram. It pains me tto say that I will not get to continue playing this season.dddddddddddd My role will change as I cannot play but it will not change the goals the team has set out. My support for this team will only grow and I look forward in watching this team grow and fight on. Hate being on the sideline but there is a greater plan taking place. My patience will be tested but I look forward to 2017. My hand will remain in the pile no matter what!The Steelers were 22nd in the league in total defense (380.8 yards per game) with Heyward, who is considered a run-stopping stabilizer who can get pressure on the quarterback. Veteran Ricardo Mathews will likely start in Heywards place.Coates broke out with 421 yards and two touchdowns in his first five games, but he has four receiving yards in his past four games. Coates had zero catches on one target Sunday against Dallas.With Coates injury and veterans Darrius Heyward-Bey and Markus Wheaton (shoulder) still sidelined, Cobi Hamilton is getting first-team reps on the outside alongside Antonio Brown and slot receiver Eli Rogers. ' ' '