The Pittsburgh Steelers face the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday afternoon at Heinz Field. With the Steelers having four questionable players for the game, the expectation of their availability can cause an upgrade or two in the training squad. The two main players to watch are Chris Boswell and Marcus Allen. Obviously, the Steelers would need a kicker if Boswell is unable to go, and if Allen is not available, the Steelers will be reduced to just 2 internal linebackers, as Ulysees Gilbert entered the reserve / injured list on Friday.
There are new rules in 2020 regarding active players on the day of the game. As long as a team has eight attacking attackers who will be preparing for the game, they can have 48 players in their active squad, instead of the 46 from previous seasons. If the Steelers elevate any player on their training team, their list of inactive players will increase by the same number of players.
NOTE: If there is a change in the projected number of inactive players after the projected inactive players are released, it will be updated to reflect the movement.
Game status
Questionable:
LB Marcus Allen (shoulder)
OLB Olasunkanmi Adeniyi (shoulder)
K Chris Boswell (crotch)
RB Anthony McFarland Jr. (illness)
Here are the possibilities of being inactive at week 16:
Definitely:
none
Probably:
QB Josh Dobbs- We expected to see Dobbs active at week 17 throughout the season. The result of week 16 can be a big factor in that decision.
LB Marcus Allen- Of all the questionable players, Allen is the only one who hasn’t trained all week. Although there is a chance that Steelers will have it active, not being available in practice is definitely working against it and I am surprised that it has not yet been dropped.
Possibly:
RB Anthony McFarland Jr.- Carrying a questionable status after missing Friday’s training due to illness, McFarland may not even be active on match day, despite James Conner’s return.
DT Isaiah Buggs- It seems that Buggs lately is the last of the defensive line players that Steelers have in the depth table. But it can still change.
DT Carlos Davis – I’m still not sure why the Steelers were between Buggs and Davis, but so far Davis has received the helmet even more.
LB Cassius Marsh- Still new to Steelers, Marsh will probably end up on the list if all other external linebackers are healthy.
OLB Olasunkanmi Adeniyi- This issue is about health. Practicing only in limited capacity on Friday, it is difficult to say whether Adeniyi will be able to go on Sunday.
K Chris Boswell- This injury is quite worrying for Steelers fans because if Boswell is out, the chances of going to a long field goal are significantly reduced. But if Boswell fails to kick, it is better not to have him active than to lose him in the middle of the game.
OL Derwin Gray- With the Steelers returning to nine attackers who are all healthy, one of them will be without a helmet. It was Gray before week 15, but receiving 25% of offensive snaps last week may have elevated him to the main reserve role in the guard.
OL Danny Isidora- Another newcomer to the Steelers, it is difficult to say what the Steelers think of Isadora yet and whether they prefer to have him active before Derwin Gray.
S Antoine Brooks Jr.- Whether Brooks will get a helmet or not will ultimately depend on the squad’s elevations and the health of others. If Marcus Allen is unable to go, Brooks may be active to take over as a hybrid linebacker to help boost the depth chart.
Unlikely:
After listing as many as possible, it would seem silly to more players here.
Projected Idle List:
- Josh Dobbs
- Isaiah Buggs
- Anthony McFarland Jr.
- Danny Isidora
- Hello Adeniyi
- Marcus Allen *
- Chris Boswell *
To explain, I included two extra slots this week, as I expect Tegray Scales and Matthew Wright to be removed from the training team. In that case, it won’t be good news for Chris Boswell. I think Scales will be elevated even if Marcus Allen can’t go, but I find it hard to believe that the Steelers had him active after not practicing and being such an inexperienced player. If Scales is elevated and Allen gets dressed, it will probably be Brooks who will lose the spot. Furthermore, if Ola Adeniyi could go on Sunday, Cassius Marsh would probably occupy his inactive position. As usual, the defensive line is a bit like a long shot, but if it’s Buggs for the third week in a row, I think he could move into the “most likely” category going forward.
UPDATE:
As predicted, the Steelers added Tegray Scales and Matthew Wright to the list on Saturday. Wright is a training squad upgrade, while Scales was hired for the 53-man squad with striker Derwin Gray being released. The new 6-man projection is as follows:
- Hello Adeniyi
- Marcus Allen
- Chris Boswell
- Josh Dobbs
- Isaiah Buggs
- Anthony McFarland Jr.
With Gray’s release, all attackers on the line will be active, so Isidora has been removed. All other projected players are the same. The Steelers could choose McFarland to act in place of Antoine Brooks Jr. as another possibility.
As always, feel free to list your projected inactive in the comments below.