The Steelers will be without multiple players against the Cincinnati Bengals today due to injury, three of them inactive after they were ruled out on Thursday.
Quarterback Kenny Pickett and safeties Minkah Fitzpatrick and Trenton Thompson are all inactive today, all dealing with injuries.
With Fitzpatrick and Thompson out, and Damontae Kazee serving a suspension, the team will be leaning on multiple players at the spot.
One such player will be veteran cornerback Patrick Peterson.
“When we talked to Pat in the offseason about bringing him here, that was one of the things that was exciting about him and he was excited about, was the opportunity to do some different things,” said defensive coordinator Teryl Austin. “He played a little bit of safety in some of our dime package, so when we had those extreme circumstances hit, it was only natural that he move there. He has done some things there and he does have a skillset for it.”
His willingness to step up isn’t lost on his teammates.
“It’s awesome,” said linebacker T.J. Watt. “For a guy like that to just jump into the role and have no complaints about it, that’s a true team player. A guy that’s going to be a Hall of Famer at corner, moved back to safety, is being a team player.
“It was funny to see him in the shoulder pads this week, but that’s just the mentality that he has. We’re going to need him to make some big plays for us. And I’m excited to see him in the box.”
With Pickett out for the third straight week it will be Mason Rudolph who takes over at the quarterback position.
“Mason has a confidence about him,” said offensive coordinator Eddie Faulkner. “We feel good about inserting him in. Mason works like a pro. Always has. From that standpoint, we feel confident putting him in there.
“I was here with him in ’19 when he was really kind of the starter for the season and did some good things, so I kind of have that background and some comfort there. I expect him to go in and execute.”
The Steelers made multiple roster moves on Friday, with players who were activated ready to go today. Defensive back Elijah Riley was activated from the Reserve/Injured List to the 53-man roster and linebacker Kyron Johnson was signed to the 53-man roster from the practice squad.
In addition, linebacker Myles Jack and safety Eric Rowe were elevated from the practice squad to the Active/Inactive Roster for the game and will revert back to the practice squad after the game.
Riley was placed on the Reserve/Injured List on November 20 after suffering an injury in the Steelers Week 11 game against the Cleveland Browns.
Riley has played in 10 games this season and has seven tackles, including three solo stops, one sack and two tackles for a loss, as well as two special teams tackles
Johnson was originally signed to the practice squad on Oct. 10. He was elevated to the Active/Inactive roster for the Week 13 game against the Arizona Cardinals, the Week 14 game against the New England Patriots and the Week 15 game against the Indianapolis Colts.
Johnson was drafted by the Eagles in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He played in 16 games last season, mainly on special teams.
Jack was signed to the practice squad on Nov. 20. Jack, who was most recently with the Philadelphia Eagles before informing them he was going to retire before the start of the season, is no stranger to the Steelers. He originally signed with the team as an unrestricted free agent in the 2022 offseason.
Jack spent one season with the Steelers before being released at the beginning of free agency in 2023. Jack played in 15 games in 2022, starting 13. He finished the season with a team-high 104 tackles, 61 of them solo stops. He had three tackles for a loss and three passes defensed.
Jack spent six seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, starting 83 of the 89 games he played in with the Jaguars. In his six seasons he recorded 511 tackles, 19 tackles for a loss, 6.5 sacks, 17 quarterback hits, three interceptions, 15 passes defensed, two forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and two defensive touchdowns.
Rowe was signed to the practice squad on Nov. 20. He is in his ninth season in the NFL.
He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He has since spent time with the New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins and most recently the Carolina Panthers.
He played in 62 games with 38 starts. He has amassed 300 tackles, including six tackles for a loss, three interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown, and two sacks.
The full list of inactives is below.
