The Pittsburgh Steelers will play the Cleveland Browns on Thursday night on the road, the team’s eleventh 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 Thursday night against the Browns.
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.
OLB Alex Highsmith – The Steelers once again be without Highsmith on Thursday night against the Browns as the starting outside linebacker will miss the Week 12 contest due to an ankle injury sustained during the team’s Week 10 game. Highsmith failed to practice any again this past week and that wasn’t overly surprising based on what HC Mike Tomlin said on Monday during his weekly press conference.
This will now mark the fifth game that Highsmith has missed this season. He missed three games during the first half of the regular season with a groin injury. The Steelers will have a mini bye week of sorts this upcoming week. Perhaps Highsmith can resume practicing next week and give himself a chance to play a week from Sunday in yet another AFC North contest. With Highsmith sidelined again this week, the Steelers outside linebackers will include T.J. Watt, Nick Herbig, Preston Smith, and Jeremiah Moon.
QB Kyle Allen – Against the Browns on Thursday night, Allen is once again expected to be the team’s inactive third emergency quarterback. Allen resumed that role in Week 10. In Week 8, Allen was the active backup behind starting QB Russell Wilson as QB Justin Fields was designated the team’s emergency third quarterback for that game due to a minor hamstring injury. Allen did not play any snaps in that Week 8 game as he was not needed.
Prior to Wilson overcoming his early-season calf injury, Allen was active for games as the backup to Fields. Allen will be in uniform on Thursday night against the Browns, but he’ll only be allowed to enter the game if both Wilson and Fields are injured and unable to resume playing. Barring injuries to Wilson or Fields, look for Allen to remain in the emergency quarterback role moving forward.
G Max Scharping – On Thursday night, the Steelers will likely have one of their nine offensive linemen on their 53-man roster on the inactive list once again. With all nine offensive linemen on the 53-man roster currently healthy, Scharping is once again a prime candidate to be that inactive offensive lineman.
While Scharping was active for the two games prior to the team’s Week 10 game, he did not see any playing time on offense. He also only logged just one special teams snap in those two games he was active for. If Scharping is indeed inactive Thursday night, and it will be a huge shock if he’s not, it will mark the fifth game this season he’s been on the list. The Steelers originally signed Scharping off the Washington Commanders’ practice squad on October 1.
RB Jonathan Ward – The Steelers chose not to activate CB Cory Trice Jr. off the Reserve/Injured list this week and that now means that Ward should at least get to spend the weekend on the team’s 53-man roster. Even so, Ward is a prime candidate to be inactive again on Thursday night and just as he was this past Sunday for the Week 11 home game.
This week, RB Jaylen Warren was not limited by the back issue that troubled him the week prior. In short, Warren will obviously dress and play against the Browns. With running backs Najee Harris and Cordelle Patterson also fully healthy, there’s no real need for Ward to dress on Thursday night.
WR Scotty Miller – The Steelers uncharacteristically dressed six wide receivers for their Week 11 home game and that was likely a result of the team being with injured TE MyCole Pruitt for that contest. Miller was one of the six wide receivers that dressed and played last Sunday although he didn’t see much action overall. With Pruitt expected back on Thursday night, it’s a good bet that Miller will be the fifth and final needed inactive player on the team’s list.
In Week 10, Miller was inactive for the first time this season and that came on the heels of the Steelers trading for WR Mike Williams. The five wide receivers expected to dress and play Thursday night are George Pickens, Calvin Austin III, Van Jefferson, Ben Skowronek, and Williams.
