The Pittsburgh Steelers are heading into the 14th week of the 2023 which will be their second of five December games. Operating on a short week, there are so many players who could potentially miss the game that it makes predicting the inactive list extremely difficult.

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 Thursday to make any roster moves or practice squad elevations, the exact number for the list is subject to change. While there could be an elevation from the practice squad or even a roster move, there is no guarantee there will be a move for Week 14. Because of these potential moves, they will ultimately determine the number of players who will be inactive.

Game Status

OUT:

QB Kenny Pickett (ankle)
CB James Pierre (shoulder)

QUESTIONABLE:

RB Najee Harris (knee)
LB Elandon Roberts (groin)
OL Mason Cole (neck)
OL Isaac Seumalo (shoulder)

Here are the possibilities to end up inactive for the Steelers against the Patriots on Thursday night:

Definitely:

QB Kenny Pickett– The biggest question when it comes to Pickett is will he land on IR which would keep him out until Week 18.

CB James Pierre– He’s been on the injury report for a few weeks, but the shoulder injury to Pierre finally has him ruled out for a game.

Most Likely:

None– There are too many injuries to think any healthy players are destined to end up on the list, and the Steelers would have to add a player to the 53-man roster to designate a third quarterback.

Possibly:

RB Najee Harris– It was strange that Najee Harris having a knee issue didn’t pop up until Tuesday’s walk-through. I don’t know if that’s good or really bad.

LB Elandon Roberts– He tried to tough it out against the Cardinals but got knocked out of the game just a couple plays later. I’m not sure it’s enough time for Roberts to recover to be reliable on the field.

OL Mason Cole– This was another mystery injury that popped up this week. For this reason, it’s hard to say if Cole will be able to play.

OL Isaac Seumalo– I haven’t heard the extent of Seumalo‘s injury as he was ruled out fairly quickly in the game on Sunday. He didn’t practice at all this week either but is generally given days off, so this could mean something or mean nothing.

RB Anthony McFarland Jr.– If Najee Harris is able to go, one of the other RBs will end up inactive and it’s been McFarland the last two weeks.

OT Dylan Cook– Whether or not Cook dresses has everything to do with the two offensive linemen. If either one can’t go, he will be in uniform.

DL DeMarvin Leal– One position group not dealing with injury is the defensive line now that Montravius Adams has returned. It is likely that someone will have to sit in his place and Leal hasn’t played more than five snaps in each of the last four games.

DL Armon Watts– Because he has been inactive a couple times this season, I can’t rule out that Armon Watts could be the man without a helmet.

Unlikely:

CB Darius Rush– James Pierre is out, so Rush should be in.

RB Godwin Igwebuike– He’s been the guy to go the last two weeks even with all the other running backs being healthy. This means the likelihood of Igwebuike not getting a helmet falls significantly.

LB Blake Martinez– The Steelers said he’s ready to go, so let’s see if he can go.

Projected Inactive List:

1. Kenny Pickett
2. James Pierre
3. Isaac Seumalo
4. Anthony McFarland Jr.
5. DeMarvin Leal
6. Elandon Roberts*

This is one of the most challenging inactive list to predict the season. With four players being questionable, what do you do with that? I took a stab at it anyway.

Kenny Pickett replaces mason Rudolph on the list. Unless the Steelers make a roster move with Trace McSorley and put him on the 53, it looks like they’ll likely go with just two quarterbacks this week. If not, McSorley would land on the list with the designation.

As I said above, James Pierre is out so Darius Rush is in.

I’m predicting that half the questionable players play and the other two do not. I’m going with the players that couldn’t finish the game on Sunday and Isaac Seumalo and Elandon Roberts. With Seumalo out, Dylan Cook gets a helmet. As for Roberts, if he can’t go the Steelers will definitely have to bring up another linebacker from the practice squad. If they don’t, expect Roberts to be out there. There is the possibility that they could bring up a player just in case Roberts plays but can’t finish.

I have a Anthony McFarland inactive again because I’m going that Najee Harris will dress for this game. If he doesn’t, then McFarland is in.

I couldn’t find another spot on the roster to have all the defensive lineman active in place of someone else, so I went with DeMarvin Leal base to his produce snaps lately. This really is a tossup where it’s not dealing with injury so I wouldn’t be shocked if it’s an unexpected player in this position and not even necessarily from the defensive line.

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