The Pittsburgh Steelers will play the New York Jets on Sunday night at home, the team’s seventh 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 night against the Jets.
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 Sunday night against the Jets, as the team officially ruled the running back out for that contest on the Friday injury report. Patterson was once again unable to practice this past week. This will mark the third game this season that he has missed.
With Patterson sidelined again on Sunday night, look for RB Jonathan Ward, who was elevated from the practice squad on Saturday, 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. It’s too early to speculate if Patterson might be able to return to action in Week 8.
OLB Nick Herbig – The Steelers will once be without Herbig on Sunday night against the Jets as the team’s second-year outside linebacker will miss the Week 7 contest due to a hamstring injury sustained during the team’s Week 5 game. Herbig was once unable to practice this past week, resulting in him being officially ruled out for the Week 7 game on the team’s Friday injury report.
This will mark the second game this season that Herbig has missed and we’ll have to wait and see if he’s able to return for the Week 8 Monday night home game. The Steelers will get outside linebacker Alex Highsmith back this week from his groin injury that caused him to miss the last three contests. The team also promoted OLB Adetokunbo Ogundeji from the practice squad on Saturday and he should play some Sunday night against the Jets.
C Zach Frazier – As expected, Frazier, a rookie, will miss his first game of the 2024 regular season on Sunday night due to an ankle injury that he sustained during the team’s Week 6 road game. That ankle injury resulted in Frazier being unable to practice this past week. There have been reports this past week stating that Frazier will not be healthy enough to return to action until after the team’s bye week in Week 9.
With Frazier sidelined on Sunday night, C Ryan McCollum is expected 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 little more than a week ago, to be active Sunday night against the Jets. Scharping was inactive for the team’s previous two games that he’s been on the 53-man roster for.
WR Roman Wilson – The Steelers added Wilson to the injury report on Thursday as a limited practice participant due to a hamstring injury. The rookie wide receiver and 2024 third round selection was listed as a limited practice participant again on Friday as well. The team ultimately listed Wilson as questionable on their injury report on Friday and that could result in him being inactive again on Sunday night against the Jets.
Wilson, who finally made his NFL debut in Week 6, battled an ankle injury for most of the summer. The team had Wilson on their first five gameday inactive lists of the regular season with the last few times being as a healthy scratch. Wilson only played five offensive snaps in his Week 6 debut. The fact that he was just a limited practice participant the final two days this week makes Wilson an easy guess as Week 7 inactive player for Sunday night. Additionally, WR Brandon Johnson was elevated from the practice squad on Saturday and that’s yet another sign that Wilson will be on the inactive list again.
S Damontae Kazee – On Saturday morning the Steelers downgraded Kazee to questionable on the team’s injury report due to an ankle issue that has bothered him since Week 5. That ankle injury prevented Kazee from playing in the Week 6 game and it certainly feels like he’s in danger of missing a second consecutive game on Sunday night.
This past week, Kazee did not practice on Wednesday. On Thursday, he was listed as a limited participant and that was followed on Friday by him being listed by the team as a full participant. He did not initially receive a game status designation on Friday. The team needs seven inactive players this week and with Kazee going backwards on Saturday as a downgrade, it makes sense that he’ll ultimately be on the list again this week.
RB Aaron Shampklin – As previously mentioned above, the Steelers elevated Ward from the practice squad on Saturday and he should now dress and play on Sunday night. The team also figures to get TE MyCole Pruitt back on Sunday night from his knee injury as well. While both Ward and Shampklin did dress and play in Week 6, the latter saw the fewer snaps on both offense and special teams.
The Steelers really should not need four running backs in uniform Sunday night so I’m going to guess that Shampklin will be the odd one out when it comes to that position group for obvious reasons with one of those being related to his asset level on special teams.
QB Kyle Allen – As was the case in Week 6, look for Allen to be the team’s third-string emergency quarterback Sunday night against the Jets. Allen, who had been active for the team’s first five regular season games due to QB Russell Wilson being sidelined with a calf injury, was inactive as the emergency quarterback for the first time this season in Week 6. Allen only saw action in one game that he was active for, and that happened last Week 5. He played just two snaps in that contest and completed his lone pass attempt for 19 yards.
As noted last weekend, there’s a good chance that Allen will continue to be a regular on the weekly gameday inactive list, barring any injuries at the quarterback position. Allen should be in uniform Sunday night against the Jets, and the only way he can enter that contest would be if both Wilson and Justin Fields were to get injured and be ruled out for the game.
