The Pittsburgh Steelers will play the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night on the road and if you’re like me, you’re counting down the hours until the game begins. As usual, I will attempt to project the Steelers inactives for every game of the 2020 season and below is my best guess as to which players won’t be given helmets Monday night against the Bills.
Game inactives are officially announced 90 minutes before kickoff, so make sure you check back at that time to see the names of the players for both teams who will be sitting the game out. Also, the new roster rules make this exercise even harder as team’s can promote up to two players from their practice squads to their active roster on gamedays. Team’s also can dress up to 48 players for games if 8 offensive linemen are dressed.
QB Joshua Dobbs – Dobbs remains the third-string backup quarterback to starter Ben Roethlisberger and Mason Rudolph going into the team’s Week 14 game and that’s not a bit surprising. Barring any injuries, Dobbs is likely to remain the Steelers third quarterback the remainder of the season so that means he will likely remain a mainstay on the team’s game-day inactive list in 2020. Dobbs has already been inactive twelve times this season and his thirteenth time should happen on Sunday night against the Bills in Buffalo.
CB Joe Haden – Haden suffered a concussion against the Washington Football Team in Week 13 and that Monday night injury resulted in the team’s starting cornerback being placed in concussion protocol. Haden proceeded to not practice all week and on Friday he was listed as out on the team’s injury report. Haden will not play Sunday night and this will mark the first game this season he’s missed. Cornerback Cameron Sutton will start in Haden’s place against the Bills in Buffalo.
T Derwin Gray – The Steelers will get center Maurkice Pouncey back in Week 14 following him missing the team’s las two games while on the Reserve/COVID-19 list. The Steelers will likely only dress eight offensive linemen again on Monday night against the bills and indeed the case, Gray, who was also inactive in Week 13, will likely be the odd man out again against the Bills in Buffalo
TE Kevin Rader – The Steelers have yet to dress three tight ends for a game this season and that practice doesn’t figure to change Sunday night in Buffalo. There are just not enough hats to go around for Rader to get one Sunday night against the Bills and so with fellow tight ends Vance McDonald and Eric Ebron both healthy, he should show up on the inactive list once again.
DT Carlos Davis – In Week 13, defensive end Isaiah Buggs dressed over the rookie Davis and because of that, it’s hard to imagine that not happening again on Sunday night against the Bills in Buffalo. It’s likely to be one of the two for sure so Davis would be the logical choice based on what transpired on Monday night with the inactive list.
S Antoine Brooks Jr. – Assuming the roster exemption sticks on new outside linebacker Cassius Marsh through the weekend, the Steelers should only need to list six inactive players Sunday night. Brooks is likely to be one of those six based on the current roster construction. The Steelers need inside linebackers Sunday night so that should result in the two Saturday roster additions, Ulysees Gilbert III and Tegray Scales both being active. Deductive reasoning results in Brooks likely being an inactive health scratch Sunday night against Buffalo.
