It's hard to make excuses for the way the Pittsburgh Steelers have played early in the 2023 season, and quite frankly, many fans are sick of hearing about them. However, it is worth noting that Mike Tomlin's team has dealt with a number of big injuries already this year.
While Pittsburgh will have to wait a bit longer for Cameron Heyward to return to the field, the Steelers will be getting back a handful of players this week including Diontae Johnson, Pat Freiermuth, James Daniels, Dan Moore Jr., and Anthony McFarland. The Week 6 bye came at the perfect time as it allowed some of these players to receive an extra week of rest before rushing back to the field.
The Steelers opened practice this week with eight names on the injury report. The good news is that they all appear to be ready to suit up for today's game against the Rams. With players returning to the lineup, others will return to watching the game in street clothes. Here is the Steelers' inactives list for today's game.
Steelers inactives list vs. Rams in Week 7:
- No. 2 QB Mason Rudolph (3rd QB)
- No. 21 CB Darius Rush
- No. 60 T Dylan Cook
- No. 96 NT Breiden Fehoko
As always, Mason Rudolph will serve as the team's emergency third-string quarterback. Though on the inactives list, Rudolph can be inserted into the game if injuries occur to both Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky.
Now that this team has mostly returned to full health, it's back to holding a clipboard for players like Dylan Cook and Breiden Fehoko. Rookie CB Darius Rush is also inactive today. The Steelers recently poached Rush off Kansas City's practice squad. This move was made as Pittsburgh elected to part ways with veteran cornerback Desmond King.
The Los Angeles Rams also had eight players on their injury report this week. However, some of their players are dealing with more significant ailments. They already lost running back Ronnie Rivers to IR and could be without RB Kyren Williams today as well. Williams was off to a remarkable start to his second NFL season.
Today's game will be huge for both teams. A loss for the Rams would send LA to 3-4 on the season -- putting them well behind the race in the NFC West. For the Steelers, it's currently a remarkably tight race in the AFC North, and they are looking to hang onto their winning record with a strong performance today.