The Pittsburgh Steelers are heading into the 12th week of the 2023 and are finishing up two straight weeks of going on the road in the AFC North against backup quarterbacks. Despite having ten games under their belt, the inactive list continues to evolve due to various injuries.

The rules in the 2023 season when it comes to the players active on game day have been carried over from the last three seasons with one additional caveat. As long as a team has eight offensive linemen who will be dressing for the game, they could have 48 players on their active roster rather than the 46 in past years. If the Steelers elevate any players from their practice squad, their inactive list would increase by the same number of players. The one change this season is one quarterback on the inactive list can be designated as the “third quarterback” and will be in uniform, but they can only enter if the other two quarterbacks are injured. The player must be on the 53-man roster and will be designated when the inactive list is released 90 minutes prior to kickoff.

With the Steelers having until 4 PM on Saturday to make any roster moves or practice squad elevations, the exact number for the list is technically subject to change. While there may well be an elevation from the practice squad, there is no guarantee there will be a move for Week 12. Because of these potential moves, they will ultimately determine the number of players who will be inactive.

Game Status

OUT:

S Minkah Fitzpatrick (hamstring)
DL Montravius Adams (ankle)

QUESTIONABLE:

CB James Pierre (shoulder)

Here are the possibilities to end up inactive for the Steelers against the Bengals on Sunday:

Definitely:

S Minkah Fitzpatrick– Although it’s been four games Fitzpatrick has missed with his hamstring injury, I don’t blame the Steelers for not putting him on IR because if he had a chance of getting him back sooner you keep an All-Pro player on the roster in case.

DL Montravius Adams– He practiced every day in a limited capacity so I thought Adams might go this week. But the bigger issue would be which player on the DL would be inactive so simply holding Adams out another week helps to answer the question.

Most Likely:

QB Mason Rudolph– Yes, there’s a new offensive coordinator. But to make the change to have Rudolph as the backup would probably be something the Steelers would not keep under wraps.

OT Dylan Cook– Although it was an issue early in the season, seeing Cook on this list so many weeks in a row is a good thing as it means the line is healthy.

RB Godwin Igwebuike– The Steelers don’t need four running backs active as they don’t even really use three.

Possibly:

CB James Pierre– He’s listed as questionable, so there is at least a possibility that Pierre is inactive for this game.

CB Darius Rush– The potential for Rush to get a helmet this week comes down to two factors: James Pierre‘s ultimate availability and if the Steelers elevate another safety from the practice squad.

LB Blake Martinez– He just joined the team on Wednesday, so I would not be surprised if the Steelers elevate a linebacker from the practice squad and give Martinez more time to adjust. This one all comes down to that move being made by 4 PM.

Unlikely:

TE Rodney Williams– The Steelers showed last week they are willing to have four tight ends active and based on the numbers they don’t need to change it up this week.

Projected Inactive List:

1. Minkah Fitzpatrick
2. Montravius Adams
3. Mason Rudolph
4. Dylan Cook
5. Godwin Igwebuike
6. Blake Martinez*
7. James Pierre*

The first five names on this list are easy. Figuring out what the Steelers are going to do with the inactive list beyond those five names all comes down to their Saturday moves.

The Steelers generally don’t like to throw a player into the mix when joining the roster that week. They did it with Montravius Adams  two years ago when he first signed, but Coach Tomlin even talked about how that was a different circumstance because there wasn’t a lot of new things to learn at the nose tackle position. Linebacker is a different monster, so I expect a practice squad elevation on Saturday and Blake Martinez to be inactive. There’s plenty of options of who the Steelers could activate, but I think it will be Tariq Campbell for one last time rather than somebody like Myles Jack. But this is simply my own guess.

The seventh spot comes down to the Steelers adding a safety by elevating one from the practice squad as they only have three currently on the 53. The other question would be who. The options come down to Jalen Elliott who was with the Steelers in the preseason and came back to the practice squad almost a month ago. The other option of Eric Rowe is less likely as he just joined the practice squad on Monday.

There is a third option for the Steelers and that is to not elevate a player from the practice squad at safety and go with Patrick Peterson playing more safety. By doing this, it would likely mean James Pierre is likely good to play with his shoulder injury and the Steelers would also have Darius Rush available at cornerback.

If I were to guess what I think the Steelers would do, I expect Jalen Elliott to be elevated from the practice squad in favor of one of the cornerbacks. I also think with James Pierre being questionable, it would give the Steelers an excuse to let him sit a week and give another opportunity to Darius Rush if they have liked what they have seen in practice lately. I like this idea so that’s why I’m going with Pierre as the seventh player if a safety is added from the practice squad.

As always, feel free to list your projected inactives in the comments below.