The Pittsburgh Steelers play the Minnesota Vikings in Dublin, Ireland on Sunday and if you’re like me, you’re counting down the hours until the 9:30 AM/EST contest begins. As usual, I will attempt to project the Steelers’ inactives for every game of the 2025 season, and below is my best guess as to which players won’t be given helmets against the Vikings at Croke Park on Sunday.
Game inactives are announced 90 minutes before kickoff, so make sure you check back then to see the players for both teams who will be sitting the game out. Roster rules make this exercise even harder as teams can elevate up to two players from their practice squad to their active roster for gamedays. Also, teams can dress up to 48 players for games if eight offensive linemen are among them. The emergency quarterback rule remains in place for the 2025 season.
OLB Alex Highsmith – The Steelers won’t have Highsmith on Sunday against the Vikings, as an ankle injury will once again prevent him from playing in Ireland. Highsmith, who did not even travel with the team to Ireland this week, was officially ruled out for Sunday’s game on the team’s Friday injury report after failing to practice all week. Highsmith injured his ankle during the Steelers’ Week 2 game, and Sunday will mark his second consecutive game missed because of it. With the Steelers having their bye week after their Sunday game against the Vikings, the hope will be that Highsmith will be ready to return to action in Week 6. With Highsmith sidelined once again, backup OLB DeMarvin Leal is expected to see playing time on Sunday against the Vikings.
CB Joey Porter Jr. – A hamstring injury sustained during the Steelers’ Week 1 game has resulted in Porter missing the team’s last two contests. While Porter did manage to end this week listed as questionable on the Steelers’ Friday injury report, he failed to practice fully on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. He was listed as just a limited participant. It’s hard to imagine the Steelers playing Porter on Sunday against the Vikings, especially with the remaining defensive backs on the 53-man roster now deemed healthy. Like Highsmith, and assuming he is once again inactive on Sunday against the Vikings, the hope will be that the team’s third-year cornerback and former second-round draft pick out of Penn State will be able to return to action in Week 6 and thus after the team’s bye week.
G/T Andrus Peat – As expected, Peat was once again one of the Steelers’ five inactive players for the team’s Week 3 road game last Sunday. Peat has not been active for a game so far this season. The Steelers signed him to a one-year contract during training camp and he continues to serve as an extended depth piece on the offensive line as the team enters Week 4. Peat played during the preseason for the Steelers at both left tackle and left guard. The Steelers have decided to dress T Calvin Anderson over Peat for the first three weeks of the 2025 regular season, and we should see a repeat of that this Sunday when the team plays the Vikings in Ireland. The Steelers are expected to dress eight offensive linemen for Week 4. That list should once again include Broderick Jones, Troy Fautanu, Isaac Seumalo, Mason McCormick, Zach Frazier, Spencer Anderson, Ryan McCollum, and Calvin Anderson.
DL Esezi Otomewo – Like Peat, Otomewo has been a healthy scratch for all three regular-season games. The Steelers were able to get rookie DT Derrick Harmon back from his knee injury in Week 3, and with him back healthy, there’s absolutely no reason for the team to consider dressing Otomewo on Sunday against the Vikings. I look for the Steelers to dress six defensive linemen again on Sunday against the Vikings, with DT Logan Lee being the sixth and playing minimal snaps again. Unless injuries hit the Steelers’ defensive line group, we can probably expect to continue to see Otomewo as a weekly healthy scratch for games on the team’s inactive list.
WR Scotty Miller – The Steelers once again elevated RB Trey Sermon from the team’s practice squad on Saturday, which means he should dress and play on Sunday against the Vikings. The Steelers are also expected to once again dress rookie RB Kaleb Johnson on Sunday in Ireland on the heels of his not playing any in the team’s Week 3 game. With RB Jaylen Warren expected to play through a recent knee injury on Sunday, the Steelers will likely want four running backs active on Sunday. Assuming all four running backs will indeed dress on Sunday, and assuming S DeShon Elliott does indeed return to action for the week 4 contest after missing the team’s two previous games with a knee injury, there’s a very good chance that Miller could wind up being a healthy scratch for the first time this season. So far through three games, Miller has played just 22 total offensive snaps and one more on special teams. He has yet to have a target on offense. In week 3, Miller played just four offensive snaps and none on special teams.
