The Pittsburgh Steelers will play the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday at dwelling, and this would be the staff’s third common season recreation of 2024. In the event you’re like me, you’re counting down the hours till the sport begins. As common, I’ll try and mission the Steelers inactives for each recreation of the 2024 season and under is my finest guess as to which gamers gained’t be given helmets on Sunday afternoon towards the Chargers.
Recreation inactives are formally introduced 90 minutes earlier than kickoff, so be sure you examine again at the moment to see the names of the gamers for each groups who will likely be sitting the sport out. Additionally, the roster guidelines make this train even tougher as groups can elevate as much as two gamers from their follow squads to their energetic roster for gamedays. Groups can also costume as much as 48 gamers for video games if eight offensive linemen are dressed. The emergency quarterback rule can be nonetheless in place for the 2024 season.
G Isaac Seumalo – For a 3rd consecutive week the Steelers won’t have Seumalo, their beginning left guard, as he’ll miss the house recreation on Sunday afternoon towards the Chargers attributable to a pectoral harm that he’s been coping with since proper earlier than the common season bought underway. Seumalo didn’t follow any this previous week and due to that he finally ended up being formally dominated out for the Week 3 dwelling recreation on the staff’s Friday harm report.
With Seumalo as soon as once more out this week, Spencer Anderson is anticipated to start out once more in his place at left guard. Seumalo needs to be near resuming training, however we gained’t know for positive if that would be the case till subsequent week’s Wednesday harm report is launched. Steelers HC Mike Tomlin did say this previous Tuesday that Seumalo is getting near returning, so learn into that what you’ll.
TE MyCole Pruitt – Like Seumalo, Pruitt was formally dominated out for the Steelers week 3 dwelling recreation towards the Chargers on the staff’s Friday harm report. Pruitt, who performed within the Steelers’ first two video games, sustained a knee harm late within the staff’s Week 2 highway recreation and that subsequently prevented him from training on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. With Pruitt sidelined together with his harm proper now, TE Rodney Williams is anticipated to decorate and play on Sunday towards the Chargers after being signed off the staff’s follow squad earlier within the week.
Whereas Williams may see some snaps on offense on Sunday, he greater than actually ought to play on particular groups if he certainly clothes for the competition and is thus energetic. The timetable for Pruitt’s return is at the moment unclear however the truth that the staff has but to position him on the Reserve/Injured checklist needs to be taken as a optimistic signal general.
DE Dean Lowry – The Steelers designated Lowry as an inactive participant for every of their first two 2024 common season video games as fellow defensive lineman Isaiahh Loudermilk has gotten the additional helmet over of him. Whereas Lowry, who was signed to a two-year contract through the offseason, began his first coaching camp as a member of the Steelers on the Lively PUP checklist, he did come off that checklist late throughout coaching camp and he was capable of see preseason recreation motion.
Even so, Loudermilk is a extra recognized commodity to the Steelers than Lowry is and that has seemingly performed a giant half in him dressing over Lowry to start out the common season. With Week 3 now on faucet, it’s actually laborious to have a great cause to assume that Lowry will costume over Loudermilk on Sunday towards the Chargers.
QB Russell Wilson – With two common season video games now within the books, Wilson continues to be coping with a calf harm that resulted in him being the inactive emergency quarterback for the staff’s first two contests of 2024. Wilson, who was as soon as once more listed as a restricted follow participant on the staff’s harm report all three days this previous week, is as soon as once more more likely to be on the inactive checklist on Sunday towards the Chargers.
Wilson formally entered the weekend listed as questionable for Sunday and that has been his pregame standing designation for the primary two weeks of the common season. With Wilson as soon as once more more likely to be listed on the Steelers Sunday inactive checklist because the emergency third quarterback, anticipate QB Kyle Allen to function the Sunday backup to beginning QB Justin Fields towards the Chargers.
S Terrell Edmunds – With the three injured gamers out of the way in which, together with Lowry seemingly being inactive once more for the Steelers, the staff will nonetheless want two extra on their Sunday checklist following the elevations of CB James Pierre and OL John Leglue from the follow squad on Saturday. Each Pierre and Leglue needs to be energetic on Sunday.
Moreover, rookie T Troy Fautanu was additionally positioned on the Reserve/Injured checklist on Saturday. Of the 2 remaining inactive participant spots, certainly one of them would possibly go to both Edmunds or S Jalen Elliott, if not each of them as the ultimate two. With Pruitt lacking Sunday’s recreation towards the Chargers with an harm, Elliott may very well be the participant requested to switch his position on particular groups with a kind of roles being the left wing on the punt staff. He performed that place through the preseason. Nonetheless, the Steelers additionally signed TE Rodney Williams off the staff’s follow squad this previous week as nicely and he performed the left wing spot through the preseason as nicely.
S Jalen Elliott – This final spot is the place it actually will get robust in regard to potential wholesome scratches on the Sunday inactive checklist and particularly with it seeming as if rookie WR Roman Wilson will make his NFL debut on Week 3. If Roman Wilson is certainly energetic on Sunday, and assuming Williams certainly does get a helmet as nicely, Elliott may as soon as once more discover himself on the inactive checklist for a 3rd consecutive recreation.
Principally, I had to select from Edmunds, Elliott, Williams and Roman Wilson when it got here to my last two predicted spots. I’m hedging that Roman Wilson will costume for the primary time this season and that Rodney Williams may even costume over each Edmunds and Elliott.
Edited: 5:18 PM ET
CB Darius Rush – After deeper thought, I’ve determined to rapidly edit this and select Rush as the ultimate inactive as a substitute of Elliott. The staff can use Pierre and RB/KR Cordarrelle Patterson as their two gunners as Rush hasn’t performed nicely in that position up to now. I feel Elliott would possibly then get a helmet over Edmunds and primarily to play that left wing spot on the punt staff. Sorry for the fast edit, however that’s my fault.