The Pittsburgh Steelers will play the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday afternoon on the road, the team’s fourteenth 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 Sunday afternoon against the Eagles.
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.
QB Kyle Allen – Against the Eagles on Sunday afternoon in Pittsburgh, look for Allen to once again be the team’s inactive third emergency quarterback. Allen resumed that particular role in the quarterback pecking order back in Week 10. In Week 8, Allen was the active backup behind starting QB Russell Wilson as QB Justin Fields was designated the team’s emergency third quarterback for that game due to a minor hamstring injury. Allen, however, did not play any snaps in that Week 8 game as he was not needed.
Prior to Wilson overcoming his early-season calf injury, Allen was active for several games as the backup to Fields. While he should be on the inactive list again on Sunday, Allen will be in uniform against the Eagles, but he’ll only be allowed to enter the game if both Wilson and Fields are injured and unable to resume playing. Barring injuries to Wilson or Fields, look for Allen to remain in the emergency quarterback role moving forward.
WR George Pickens – The same hamstring injury that prevented Pickens from playing in Week 14 will once again keep him from participating in the Sunday road game against the Eagles. Pickens failed to practice any this past week and that was on the heels of HC Mike Tomlin terming the wide receiver doubtful for Sunday’s road game against the Eagles during his Tuesday press conference. This will mark just the second game that Pickens has missed during his NFL career.
After having an MRI on his injured hamstring earlier in the week, speculation has since been that Pickens could miss the team’s next three games with the first of those being on Sunday against the Eagles. He supposedly has a Grade 2 hamstring injury. Pickens evidently sustained his hamstring injury last Thursday. With Pickens sidelined on Sunday against the Eagles, look for WR Scotty Miller to dress in his place like he did in Week 14.
The five wide receivers expected to dress and play Sunday afternoon against Philadelphia are Calvin Austin III, Van Jefferson, Ben Skowronek, Mike Williams, and Miller.
S DeShon Elliott – Like Pickens, Elliott will also miss Sunday’s road game against the Eagles due to a hamstring injury as he was officially ruled out for that Week 15 contest on the team’s Friday injury report. Elliott, like Pickens, failed to practice any this past week. This will mark the first game that Elliott has missed this season.
With Elliott inactive on Sunday, there’s a tiny chance that CB Cory Trice Jr. will be active against the Eagles. Trice, who was activated from the team’s Reserve/Injured list last week after finally overcoming his hamstring injury, was one of five inactive players for his first game back on the 53-man roster last Sunday. By the sound of things, the Steelers will use CB Cameron Sutton and S Damontae Kazee to help handle Elliott’s role. This could result in Trice being inactive again.
DT Larry Ogunjobi – A groin injury sustained in Week 14 will prevent Ogunjobi from playing on Sunday. Ogunjobi was officially ruled out for the Week 15 game against the Eagles on the team’s Friday injury report after failing to practice all week. This will mark the first game Ogunjobi has missed this season.
With Ogunjobi sidelined for Sunday’s game with his injury, DT Montravius Adams is expected to help relieve his absence. Adams was activated to the Steelers’ 53-man roster from the Reserve/Injured list on Saturday afternoon.
CB Cory Trice Jr. – This last inactive player is a bit tricky as it could go in a few different directions. Quite honestly, it should be one of Trice, Lowry, OLB Jeremiah Moon, or OLB Preston Smith. The Steelers only have eight offensive linemen on their 53-man roster right now so all eight, including G Max Sharping, should dress on Sunday against the Eagles. With Elliott sidelined on Sunday with his injury, Trice could indeed dress as mentioned above.
Lowry was a healthy inactive scratch in Week 14 as the team decided to go lighter on defensive linemen. Smith, an outside linebacker, did see some snaps as a down-lineman in Week 14 and that could happen again on Sunday against the Eagles if he dresses. Moon usually dresses for special teams help and I am guessing that occurs again on Sunday.
Do the Steelers really want to dress just four defensive linemen on Sunday with Ogunjobi out and Adams back? I kind of doubt it. Because of that, I think Lowry gets a helmet versus the Eagles and Trice winds up being a healthy scratch once again.
