The Pittsburgh Steelers will play the Baltimore Ravens at home on Sunday afternoon, and it is their fifth 2023 regular-season game. 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 2023 season. Below is my best guess as to which players won’t be given helmets against the Ravens.
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 newer roster rules make this exercise even harder as teams can elevate up to two players from their practice squads to their active roster for gamedays. Teams also can dress up to 48 players for games if eight offensive linemen are dressed. The emergency quarterback rule is also back in place for the 2023 season.
QB Mason Rudolph – (Emergency 3rd) – Nothing new here. Yet another week for Rudolph as the Steelers’ third-string quarterback and that should result in him once again being inactive and designated as the emergency option just as was the case in the first four games. Rudolph will dress and warm up prior to the Sunday afternoon game against the Ravens but he won’t play unless something happens to the two quarterbacks ahead of him on the depth chart, Kenny Pickett, and Mitch Trubisky. We’ll likely continue to see this happen with Rudolph every week barring something happening to Pickett or Trubisky. The NFL brought back the emergency inactive quarterback rule this past offseason.
TE Pat Freiermuth – After sustaining a hamstring injury in the second half of last week’s road game, Freiermuth won’t be healthy enough to play on Sunday against the Ravens. He failed to practice this past week and the team ruled him out for Sunday’s home game on the Friday injury report. This will mark the first game that Freiermuth has missed this season, and his hamstring injury could result in more missed contests after the team’s bye week. With Freiermuth sidelined, the Steelers signed TE Rodney Williams off their practice squad earlier in the week and he’ll now dress on Sunday against the Ravens.
P Pressley Harvin III – The Steelers won’t have their primary punter once again on Sunday due to an injury. Harvin, who missed the Week Four game with a hamstring injury, will now also miss the Sunday afternoon game against the Ravens. On Friday, the Steelers ruled Harvin out on the team’s official injury report and that means he will be inactive again on Sunday. Replacing Harvin on Sunday against the Ravens will be Brad Wing, who was elevated from the Steelers practice squad on Saturday. Wing replaced Harvin last week on the road.
G James Daniels – Like Harvin, Daniels will miss a second consecutive game due to an injury. Daniels, the Steelers starting right guard, will miss the Sunday game against the Ravens due to a groin injury. That injury once again prevented him from practicing this past week and the team officially ruled the guard out for Sunday on the Friday injury report. This will be the second game that Daniels has missed as a member of the Steelers and like last Sunday, Nate Herbig is expected to start at right guard in his absence. With Daniels out, look for backup offensive lineman Dylan Cook to once again be active on Sunday. Additionally, the Steelers elevated C/G Ryan McCollum from the practice squad on Saturday and he should dress for the game against the Ravens as well.
T Dan Moore Jr. – The Steelers will be down two linemen in total on Sunday as like Daniels, Moore will miss the game against the Ravens due to an injury. Moore, who has been the Steelers’ starting left tackle since Week One of the 2021 season, suffered a knee injury early in the team’s Week Four road game last Sunday. Moore was unable to practice this past week due to his knee injury and the team officially ruled him out for their Sunday home game on the Friday injury report. With Moore sidelined, rookie Broderick Jones will make his first career start on Sunday against the Ravens. The Steelers should still dress eight offensive linemen in total on Sunday on the heels of McCollum being elevated to the Active/Inactive roster on Saturday.
DE DeMarvin Leal – The Steelers ruled Leal out with a concussion this past week. He will not play on Sunday against the Ravens and DT Breiden Fehoko will dress in his place. This will be the first game that Leal has missed this season and the first one that Fehoko has played in.
RB Godwin Igwebuike – The Steelers signed Igwebuike off the practice squad of the Atlanta Falcons a few weeks ago but since then, the running back has yet to dress for a game. That trend is expected to continue on Sunday against the Ravens and especially since the Steelers will need seven inactive players for this AFC North contest. Since backup RB Anthony McFarland Jr. went down injured in Week Two, the Steelers have gone with just two true running backs, Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, for games. TE Connor Heyward has since served as a quasi-third running back in the last two games and that figures to happen again on Sunday against the Ravens.
