The Pittsburgh Steelers will play the Tennessee Titans at home on Thursday night, and it is their eighth 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 Titans at Acrisure Stadium. We don’t have long to wait until we find out the actual list of inactive players.
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 – With QB Kenny Pickett expected to start Thursday night after suffering a rib injury in Week Eight, Rudolph should once again find himself on the inactive list once again. While Rudolph has dressed for all seven previous games so far this season, in each one he has been designated as the team’s inactive emergency third quarterback. He remains the third-string quarterback on the depth chart in Week Nine and thus look for him to once again be listed as inactive on Thursday night against the Titans with the emergency designation. The last time that Rudolph was not inactive for a regular season game was in Week 15 of the 2022 season.
S Minkah Fitzpatrick – The Steelers officially ruled Fitzpatrick out for the Thursday night game with a hamstring injury on the team’s Wednesday injury report and that wasn’t a bit surprising. Fitzpatrick sustained that hamstring injury early in the team’s Week Eight home game and it figures to sideline him for at least a few games. On a positive note, the fact that Fitzpatrick wasn’t placed on the Reserve/Injured list on Thursday afternoon means that the safety will hopefully be able to get back within the next four weeks.
T Dylan Cook – The Steelers’ offensive line remains at full health in Week Nine and because of that, look for Cook to once again be inactive on Thursday night against the Titans. Cook has only dressed for one game so far this season and that was only due to injuries. The Steelers usually only dress eight offensive linemen and so far this season, rookie Spencer Anderson has been getting the nod over Cook. There’s no reason to think that won’t continue on Thursday night against the Titans at Acrisure Stadium.
DT Breiden Fehoko – As expected, Fehoko was once inactive in Week Eight with DE DeMarvin Leal back from the concussion that prevented him from playing in Week Five. The Steelers usually like to dress six defensive linemen for games and if that’s indeed the case again on Thursday night, expect Fehoko to be the odd man out once again, especially with DT Cameron Heyward now back from the Reserve/Injured list as of Wednesday afternoon.
CB Levi Wallace – The Steelers entered Thursday with one player listed as questionable on the team’s injury report, and that was Wallace, who missed the Week Eight game with a foot issue. Wallace was only able to practice on a limited basis during this short week so there’s a good chance he’ll show up on the inactive list on Thursday night. In Week Eight, rookie CB Darius Rush dressed in place of Wallace and that could happen again against the Titans. Rush did not see the field in Week Eight, not even on special teams.
