The Pittsburgh Steelers will play the New York Giants on Monday night at home, the team’s eighth regular-season game of 2024. 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 2024 season and below is my best guess as to which players won’t be given helmets on Monday night against the Giants.
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. The 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 can also dress up to 48 players for games if eight offensive linemen are dressed. The emergency quarterback rule is also still in place for the 2024 season.
RB Cordarrelle Patterson – An ankle injury sustained during the team’s Week 4 game will once again prevent Patterson from playing Monday night against the Giants, as the team officially ruled the running back out for that contest on the Sunday injury report update. Patterson was able to practice on a limited basis this past week but even so, he ended Saturday listed as doubtful on the injury report before ultimately being ruled out for the Monday contest on Sunday. This will mark the fourth game this season that he has missed.
With Patterson sidelined again on Sunday night, look for RB Jonathan Ward, who was signed from the practice squad on Monday, to once again get a helmet to serve as a backup behind RB Najee Harris and RB Jaylen Warren, who returned from his knee injury in Week 6. The team waived RB Aaron Shampklin on Monday so he’s out of the picture as well.
OLB Nick Herbig – The Steelers will once again be without Herbig on Monday night against the Giants as the team’s second-year outside linebacker will miss the Week 8 contest due to a hamstring injury sustained during the team’s Week 5 game. Herbig was once unable to practice again this past week, resulting in him being officially ruled out for the Week 8 game on the team’s Saturday injury report.
This will mark the third game this season that Herbig has missed. With the bye week to follow the Monday night game against the Giants, hopefully Herbig will be able to return to action in Week 10. As of Week 7, the Steelers have outside linebacker Alex Highsmith back from his groin injury so that’s a positive. The team also promoted OLB Adetokunbo Ogundeji from the practice squad last weekend and he should play some Sunday night against the Giants along with fellow backup OLB Jeremiah Moon.
C Zach Frazier – As expected, rookie Frazier will miss his second game of the 2024 regular season on Monday night due to an ankle injury that he sustained during the team’s Week 6 road game. That ankle injury once again resulted in Frazier being unable to practice this past week and he was officially ruled out for the Monday night contest on the Saturday injury report. Previous media reports since Week 6 stated that Frazier will not be healthy enough to return to action until after the team’s bye week, the team off Week 9 and returning in Week 10 to face the Washington Commanders.
With Frazier sidelined again on Monday night, look for C Ryan McCollum to start in his place. McCollum took over for Frazier when he left the Week 6 road game with an ankle injury. Additionally, look for G Max Scharping, who was signed off the practice squad of the Washington Commanders a few weeks ago, to be active again Monday night against the Giants. Prior to Week 7, Scharping was inactive for the team’s previous two games that he’s been on the 53-man roster for.
S Damontae Kazee – The Steelers made Kazee inactive in Week 7 because of an ankle injury. With the team needing five inactive players Monday night, there’s a good chance that Kazee finds himself as a healthy scratch for the game against the Giants and especially if CB C.J. Henderson winds up getting a helmet. Henderson said this past week he thinks he’ll dress and play against the Giants after being signed off the practice squad several days ago.
The Steelers have been dressing S Terrell Edmunds the last several weeks and he has been playing on special teams. In short, it feels like either Kazee or Edmunds will be inactive Monday night. I will go with Kazee as my prediction.
QB Justin Fields – This last inactive spot will surely go to a quarterback. QB Kyle Allen has been the inactive emergency quarterback ever since QB Russell Wilson returned. He would be an easy pick to be in that spot again Monday night if not for QB Justin Fields being added to the injury report as questionable over the weekend with a hamstring issue.
Will Fields be healthy enough by 90 minutes before kickoff to be the backup to Wilson? It’s really hard to tell at the time of this post. Jay Glazer of Fox Sports hinted on Sunday that Fields might not be ready. We’ll likely know for sure well before the inactives are announced. It’s a coin flip prediction, but I will say that Allen winds up being active with Fields being the inactive emergency third quarterback. It could obviously wind up being the opposite, however.
