The Pittsburgh Steelers will play the Green Bay Packers at home on Sunday afternoon, and it is their ninth 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 Packers on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium.
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 – While Rudolph has dressed for all eight previous games so far this season, in each one he has been designated as the team’s inactive emergency third quarterback. Rudolph remains the third-string quarterback on the depth chart in Week Ten and thus look for him to once again be listed as inactive on Sunday against the Packers with the emergency QB designation. Mitch Trubisky is once again expected to back up starter Kenny Pickett on Sunday. The last time that Rudolph was not inactive for a regular season game was in Week 15 of the 2022 season. He did not play in that contest, however.
S Minkah Fitzpatrick – In Week Nine, Fitzpatrick was inactive for the first time this season as he missed that Thursday night contest with a hamstring injury. Fitzpatrick was unable to practice any this past week and that ultimately resulted in him being officially ruled out for the team’s Sunday home game against the Packers on the Friday injury report. The hope is that Fitzpatrick might be able to return either next week or the following week. The fact that he was not placed on the Reserve/Injured list last Thursday is a good sign that he won’t miss many more games past Week Ten.
DT Montravius Adams – Early in the team’s Week 9 home game, Adams sustained an ankle injury. That seemingly happened during the first defensive play of the game. After the first two plays in Week Nine, Adams left the contest with that ankle injury and failed to return. This past week, Adams was unable to practice any, and that resulted in him officially being ruled out for Sunday’s home game against the Packers on the Friday injury report. This will mark the first game this season that Adams has missed and with him sidelined on Sunday, DT Armon Watts is likely to be active after being one of the team’s inactive players in Week Nine.
T Dylan Cook – So far this season, Cook has only dressed for one game and that was back in Week Five and due to injuries. He did not, however, see any playing time in that game. The Steelers usually only dress eight offensive linemen in total and that figures to be the case once again on Sunday against the Packers. So far this season, rookie offensive lineman Spencer Anderson has been getting the nod over Cook and there’s no reason to think that won’t continue on Sunday against the Packers at Acrisure Stadium.
DT Breiden Fehoko – As expected, Fehoko was inactive again in Week Eight. Fehoko has been active for just one game so far this season and that was back in Week Five. He did not, however, see any playing time in that contest. The Steelers usually like to dress six total defensive linemen for games and if that’s indeed the case on Sunday against the Packers, expect Fehoko to be the odd man out once again.
RB Godwin Igwebuike – The Steelers activated RB Anthony McFarland Jr. from the team’s Reserve/Injured list this past week and that move now gives the team four running backs on their 53-man roster. Assuming McFarland resumes his role as the team’s kickoff returner now that he’s back on the active roster, that would likely result in Igwebuike, who has been active for the last three games, being a healthy scratch on Sunday against the Packers. He has played only on special teams since joining the Steelers earlier in the season.
CB Darius Rush – The Steelers made two elevations from their practice squad on Saturday in S Trenton Thompson and ILB Tariq Carpenter and on the heels of that, there’s a strong chance both players will be active on Sunday. That also means that the Steelers will need seven inactive players on Sunday. In Week Nine, the Steelers had eight cornerbacks active, and Rush was included in that group. While the rookie Rush did play 30 defensive snaps on Thursday night, he failed to log any special teams action. With Thompson and Carpenter both likely to get some special teams snaps on Sunday, Rush might wind up being the odd cornerback out should the team go back to dressing just seven total cornerbacks.
