The Pittsburgh Steelers will wrap up their 2014 preseason schedule Thursday night at Heinz Field against the Carolina Panthers and several players will likely be held out of that game as a precaution.
During his Tuesday press conference, head coach Mike Tomlin said that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, safety Troy Polamalu, defensive end Cameron Heyward, linebacker Sean Spence ,linebacker Jason Worilds and wide receiver Lance Moore would all likely be “preserved” this week.
Tomlin did say that safety Will Allen (hamstring) and a few others that have recently missed time with injuries might play. In addition, veteran defensive end Brett Keisel is expected to play and possibly play a lot as Tomlin wants to throw him into the deep end of the pool to see how good he swims.
Running backs Le’Veon Bell and LeGarrette Blount are both also expected to play Thursday night as well.
Third-string quarterback Landry Jones is expected to see extended playing time against the Panthers, but Tomlin did not say whether or not he would start. Tomlin said he is looking for consistent, above the line play from the second-year quarterback this week.
