The Pittsburgh Steelers will play the Indianapolis Colts on the road on Saturday afternoon, and it is their 14th 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 Colts on Saturday afternoon at Lucas Oil 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 dressing. The emergency quarterback rule is also back in place for the 2023 season.
QB Kenny Pickett – Saturday afternoon will mark the second game this season that Pickett has missed as the team’s starting quarterback won’t play against the Colts due to an ankle injury that he sustained in the first half of the Week 13 game. Pickett’s high ankle sprain required surgery a few weeks ago and that resulted in him being sidelined at least two games, and possibly even as many as four. With Pickett sidelined again on Saturday afternoon, Mitch Trubisky will start at quarterback for the Steelers against the Colts with Mason Rudolph serving once again as his backup. This will mark the second time that Rudolph has been active for a game since Week 15 of last season.
RB Anthony McFarland Jr. – In Week 14, McFarland was once again a healthy scratch on the inactive list as part of Steelers choosing to dress RB Godwin Igwebuike over him on Thursday night due to special teams needs. The depth chart this week also showed that Igwebuike has moved ahead of McFarland as the team’s kickoff returner. The steelers aren’t likely to dress four running backs on Saturday against the Colts and because of that, it’s easy to predict that we’ll see McFarland listed as an inactive player once again.
OT Dylan Cook – Last Thursday night it looked like there was a strong chance that Cook would be active due to G Isaac Seumalo ending the week listed as questionable with a shoulder injury. As it turned out, however, Seumalo suited up and played against the Patriots. This week, Seumalo once again ended the week listed as questionable after failing to practice all week. Even so, and based on what happened last week, I am willing to bet he plays on Saturday against the Colts. If he does suit up, look for Cook to be on the inactive list once again. He’s only dressed for one game so far this season.
DE DeMarvin Leal – Against the Patriots last Thursday night, Leal found himself on the inactive list for a second time this season. That wasn’t a huge surprise, however, as DT Montravius Adams returned from his ankle injury last week. Additionally, Leal has seen his snap counts dwindle in the several games prior to the contest against the Patriots. There really is no reason to expect the Steelers to go a different route this week so look for Leal to be inactive once again ahead of the Saturday game against the Colts. He seems to have fallen out of favor at this point and as a former third-round draft pick that is in his second season, that’s genuinely concerning.
CB Darius Rush – While Rush did dress and play in the week 14 game against the Patriots last Thursday night, he only saw time on special teams. That was all likely a result of CB James Pierre missing that contest due to a shoulder injury. With Pierre presumably back for the Saturday game against the Colts, Rush is likely to go back to the inactive list once again. Pierre is a more experienced player than Rush right now and especially when it comes to special teams play.
ILB Blake Martinez – Last week against the Patriots, Martinez was active for the first time since joining the Steelers and that may have been related to fellow ILB Elandon Roberts entering that contest as questionable with a groin injury on a short week. Martinez being active against the Patriots resulted in OLB Markus Golden drawing the short straw and thus being inactive for the first time this season. The Steelers outside linebacker position got a little thin in Week 14 due to Alex Highsmith and T.J. Watt both getting dinged up during the contest. Luckily, Watt was able to finish the game. Will Golden get the helmet over Martinez on Saturday? He should if Roberts can play his usual low amount of special teams snaps. If, however, the plan is for Roberts to be held out of limited special teams action against the Colts, Golden might be the one to draw the short stick again. Regardless, the Steelers elevated versatile LB Kyron Johnson on Friday and he should indeed be active once again. This spot should come down to just how healthy Roberts is now.
