The Steelers will be without two starters today when they take on the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadum.
Receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and cornerback Joey Porter Jr. were both ruled out for today's game. This will be the second straight game that Porter has missed.
With Porter out, it will once again be Jamel Dean and Asante Samuel Jr. who will be called upon.
Dean signed with the Steelers as an unrestricted free agent this offseason after spending the last seven years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Defensive pass game coordinator/defensive backs coach Jason Simmons referred to Dean as a 'Swiss Army knife,' giving them flexibility at the position.
"The way we look at it, and the way we train, is about being a complete defensive back," said Simmons. "We don't look at left corner, right corner, field corner, boundary corner. There'll be different times where we say it's based on match-up. Sometimes it's on field and boundary. Sometimes it's based on left and right.
"That gives us flexibility, gives (defensive coordinator) Patrick Graham the flexibility to be able to call what he wants.
"And Jamel is one of those guys, one of the Swiss Army knives that allows us to do that."
Samuel fought his way back from spinal fusion surgery while he was with the Los Angeles Chargers that forced him to miss most of the 2024 season and part of 2025.
He was signed to the Steelers practice squad partway through the 2025 season and later elevated to the 53-man roster.
Samuel, who has started 48 career games, has said he is still trying to prove himself after his injury.
Simmons doesn't think he has anything to prove.
"He doesn't have to necessarily prove anything to me," said Simmons. "We trust him. We know his ability. We know that he's a playmaker. He's shown that he has done that over years in the league.
"We just want him to come out here and play free and play to who he is. He doesn't have to prove anything. I know who he is."
Assistant head coach/secondary Joe Whitt also likes what he sees from both players.
"These guys have been starters in the league for a long time," said Whitt. "It's not like they're not starting quality players. They're really good players.
"(Asante's) had an excellent camp. I just hope he continues from what he did in camp and just plays that way all season. He's a high-level player, so it's not lieu of somebody else not playing (that he is playing). That is what we expect his play to be because he's a dang good football player."
The Steelers also elevated running back Travis Homer and defensive back Doneiko Slaughter from the practice squad to the Active/Inactive Roster for today's game.
Homer was signed by the Steelers in the offseason as an unrestricted free agent. Homer was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the sixth-round of the 2019 NFL Draft, the 204th overall pick.
He spent his first four seasons in the NFL with the Seahawks (2019-22) and the last three with the Chicago Bears (2023-25). In seven seasons, he has appeared in 85 games, starting two. He has carried the ball 90 times for 474 yards and one touchdown. He also has 55 receptions for 475 yards and two touchdowns. He also was used heavily on special teams.
Homer played college football at the University of Miami where he rushed for 1,995 yards over three seasons.
Slaughter was previously activated for the Week 1 game against the Falcons.
Slaughter was first signed to a Reserve/Future contract by the Steelers following the 2025 season. Slaughter originally signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent following the 2025 NFL Draft.
Slaughter played his final college season at Arkansas where he started 13 games. He recorded 80 tackles, including 44 solo stops, three tackles for a loss, seven passes defensed, a sack and a forced fumble.
He began his college career at Tennessee, playing four seasons and finishing with three sacks, one interception and eight passes defensed. In five college seasons, he appeared in 56 games, starting 28. He had 167 tackles, 110 of them solo stops, eight and a half tackles for a loss, four sacks, and 15 passes defensed.
The full list of inactives is below.
Steelers Inactives
No. 11 WR Michael Pittman Jr.
No. 16 QB Drew Allar
No. 18 QB Will Howard (3rd QB)
No. 24 CB Joey Porter Jr.
No. 73 G Gennings Dunker
No. 92 DL Kevin Jobity Jr.
No. 96 DE Gabriel Rubio
Patriots Inactives
No. 7 CB Carlton Davis
No. 15 QB Behren Morton (3rd QB)
No. 68 T Dametrious Crownover
No. 72 T Walter Rouse
No. 84 TE Tanner Arkin
No. 93 DT Leonard Taylor
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