The Pittsburgh Steelers are now less than 90 minutes away from their kickoff for Week 5 of the 2024 NFL season. Hosting a game for only’ the second time this season, the Steelers have their first of three prime time home games in the month of October. Although they are only guaranteed to meet every four seasons, and every eight in Pittsburgh, this is one of the biggest cross-conference rivalries in the NFL.

As is always the case, 90 minutes before kickoff is when teams must announce their inactive list for the upcoming game. With 48 players active for each team, the number of players on the inactive list depends on if a team makes any practice squad elevations. With the Steelers elevating two players on Saturday, their inactive list is seven players. As for the Cowboys, they also have seven players due to their practice squad elevations.

Keep in mind that last season implemented a modified return of the “third quarterback rule.” Every NFL team who has a third quarterback on their 53-man roster may include him on their inactive list, but he can be designated as a third quarterback and is therefore in uniform in case of injury to the two players ahead of him on the depth chart. But if one of the players is deemed healthy enough to return, the third quarterback goes back to their role on the sideline.

Here are the seven players inactive for the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 5 against the Cowboys according to Steelers.com.

Steelers Inactives

No. 3 QB Russell Wilson (3rd QB)
No. 10 WR Roman Wilson
No. 30 RB Jaylen Warren
No. 56 LB Alex Highsmith
No. 64 OG Max Scharping
No. 81 TE MyCole Pruitt
No. 84 RB/KR Cordarrelle Patterson

This week, four players  had already been ruled out for the Steelers coming into the game. Those players were linebacker Alex Highsmith, running back Jaylen Warren, running back and kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson, and tight end MyCole Pruitt. Of those players, Alex Highsmith was the only one ruled out before practices began for the week. Both Jaylen Warren and MyCole Pruitt were at least given a small window to return this week, but neither were able to practice, both with knee injuries, and each will be absent again. As for Patterson, he also missed practice all week and will miss his first game, but at least it was not to the degree where he landed on the Reserve/Injured List (IR).

Another player who had missed the previous four games is Roman Wilson with the first two being due to injury followed by two healthy scratches. Roman Wilson was a full participant every day  and has no injury status for the second-straight week. Despite being cleared to play, Roman Wilson will have to wait at least another week to make his NFL debut as he is a healthy scratch as he attempts to get on the moving train. The Steelers made the choice to promote Brandon Johnson from the practice squad instead of giving Roman Wilson a helmet.

An ongoing story for the first four weeks of the NFL season so far has been the status of quarterback Russell Wilson. Once again limited all week, Wilson is the emergency quarterback on the inactive list for the fifth-straight game and can only enter the game if both other quarterbacks are out due to injury.

The other healthy player who is inactive is guard Max Scharping. Signing with the Steelers this week off the Washington Commanders practice squad, Scharping has 33 starts in 79 games over the last five seasons with both the Houston Texans and Cincinnati Bengals. The Steelers did not have to call of Scharping to dress after just joining the team because Isaac Seumalo is active for his first game of the season.

The Steelers also got some help at the outside linebacker position as Jeremiah Moon is active after missing the first four games due to being on IR with an ankle injury. Moon appeared in eight games with the Baltimore Ravens last season.

As for the Cowboys inactive list, they can be seen below. Cornerback Trevon Diggs is active.

Cowboys Inactives

No. 11 LB Micah Parsons
No. 19 QB Trey Lance (3rd QB)
No. 21 CB Caelen Carson
No. 42 RB Deuce Vaughn
No. 52 DE K.J. Henry
No. 79 OT Matt Waletzko
No. 81 TE John Stephens Jr.