The Pittsburgh Steelers are now less than 90 minutes away from kickoff in Week 4 of the 2023 NFL season. Traveling to face the Houston Texans for a Sunday afternoon game, the Steelers have the chance to stack three wins in a row.

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 one player on Saturday, their inactive list is six players while the Texans will have seven due to two elevations.

New to the 2023 season is a modified return of the “third quarterback rule.” Every NFL team who has a third quarterback on their 53-man roster will include him on their inactive list, but he is 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 six players inactive for the Pittsburgh Steelers in their Week 4 matchup against the Texans according to Steelers.com.

Steelers Inactives

No. 2 QB Mason Rudolph (3rd QB)
No. 6 P Pressley Harvin III
No. 48 RB Godwin Igwebuike
No. 78 OG James Daniels
No. 89 WR Gunner Olszewski
No. 96 Breiden Fehoko

Mason Rudolph is on the list as the Steelers third quarterback and will be in uniform which is technically an upgrade from last season. Joining Rudolph on the inactive list are the twoi players previously ruled out in punter Pressley Harvin III and guard James Daniels. Brad Wing was elevated from the practice squad to perform the punting duties today. As for the offensive line, Nate Herbig steps into the starting role while Dylan Cook will be active for the first time in 2024 as one of three reserve linemen.

Wide receiver Dez Fitzpatrick was inactive last week even though Gunner Olszewski had been ruled out, choosing to go with only four wide receivers. This week the Steelers go back to five wide receivers but it is Fitzpatrick getting the helmet with Olszewski being inactive. Another player inactive for the Steelers is defensive lineman Breiden Fehoko. Singed off the practice squad last week, Fehoko is still the odd man out in a very crowded defensive line room.

The last spot likely came down to one of three players and a decision on how the Steelers wanted to play things. Do the Steelers put Desmond King back on the inactive list or go with only two running backs and have Godwin Igwebuike inactive again? The Steelers decided to go with only two running back and Igwebuike is once again on the inactive list.

As for the Texans inactive list, they can be seen below.

Texans Inactives

No. 4 CB Tavrierre Thomas
No. 6 LB Denzel Perryman
No. 18 QB Case Keenum (3rd QB)
No. 33 RB Dare Ogunbowale
No. 63 C/G Michael Deiter
No. 74 T Josh Jones
No. 78 LT Laremy Tunsil