The Steelers wrapped up their preparation for Sunday's game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium and they will be without several players for the key game.
Linebacker Alex Highsmith, cornerback Joey Porter Jr., safety DeShon Elliott and offensive lineman Max Scharping have all been ruled out.
Rookie defensive lineman Derrick Harmon, the team's No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, is questionable.
Whether he plays or not is still a question mark, but if he does, his snaps could be limited.
"We'll see where he ends up, but I think, if it does come to it, we'll be pretty judicious with his snaps and try to work him back," said defensive coordinator Teryl Austin. "More importantly, he's probably going to lack some football conditioning, football shape. So, you don't want to throw a guy in there that's really not quite ready in those regards.
"I like the progress he's making, and we'll just kind of see where we end up."
The Steelers placed defensive lineman Isaiahh Loudermilk on the Reserve/Injured List earlier this week, so the rotation on the line could include two young players in Yahya Black and Logan Lee.
"We're thin there right now, so there's going to be a rotation, and guys are going to have to step up," said Austin. "I think those guys have to rotate. The one thing is you don't want to give them too many snaps. But if you can spread them out and we can get 10, 15 snaps amongst them, maybe a little bit more, and get quality snaps, that's what we're looking for."
Another player who could step up on the defensive line is veteran Daniel Ekuale, who was signed as an unrestricted free agent this offseason. He played 20 snaps last week, seeing playing time after Loudermilk was injured.
"Prefer to see him inside, but he does have some versatility because he does have some quick twitch to move outside," said Austin. "Because he is a veteran, he gives you that, and he understands that he can move outside and give you some stuff.
"So, we'll be looking, again, with attrition, we'll be looking for veteran guys like him to maybe pick up some extra snaps, so you don't have to throw those all on young guys.
"Daniel's been good. He's had a good two weeks. He had a really good week of practice last week; he's got a good week this week. So, I'm excited to see how he performs and the versatility he does bring to us."
With injuries in the secondary, specifically with Elliott, Jabrill Peppers could see more snaps. The Steelers signed Peppers a week ago and played seven snaps against the Seahawks.
His playing time this week could increase.
"He's done well," said Austin. "You can see he's a real pro, understands the ball, really works. I think the thing that I like about him as I watched him through the last week when we got him and now this week, is the fact that he really tries to communicate and talk about things. I think that's more, for young guys, sometimes they don't want to talk for fear of making a mistake. But he's talking and saying it because that way he'll know if he knows it or not. I really like the way he goes about his business that way.
"As far as what he does this week, I'm sure we're going to find a role for him and get him out there on the field because he is a quality player. He's a good tackler.
"So, I'm excited to see what he does for us this week."
The full injury and status report is below.
Pittsburgh Steelers Participation/Injury Report, Week 3
Game Status
No. 24 CB Joey Porter Jr. (Hamstring) - Out
No. 25 S DeShon Elliott (Knee) - Out
No. 56 LB Alex Highsmith (Ankle) - Out
No. 64 OL Max Scharping (Knee) - Out
No. 99 DT Derrick Harmon (Knee) - Questionable
Friday, September 19
No. 4 WR DK Metcalf (NIR - Resting Vet) - Full
No. 6 LB Patrick Queen (Oblique) - Full
No. 23 CB Darius Slay (NIR - Resting Vet) - Full
No. 24 CB Joey Porter Jr. (Hamstring) - DNP
No. 25 S DeShon Elliott (Knee) - DNP
No. 56 LB Alex Highsmith (Ankle) - DNP
No. 64 OL Max Scharping (Knee) - DNP
No. 90 LB T.J. Watt (NIR - Resting Vet) - Full
No. 99 DT Derrick Harmon (Knee) - Full
Thursday, September 18
No. 4 WR DK Metcalf (NIR - Resting Vet) - DNP
No. 6 LB Patrick Queen (Oblique) - Full
No. 23 CB Darius Slay (NIR - Resting Vet) - Full
No. 24 CB Joey Porter Jr. (Hamstring) - DNP
No. 25 S DeShon Elliott (Knee) - DNP
No. 56 LB Alex Highsmith (Ankle) - DNP
No. 64 OL Max Scharping (Knee) - DNP
No. 90 LB T.J. Watt (NIR - Resting Vet) - Full
No. 99 DT Derrick Harmon (Knee) - Limited
Wednesday, September 17
No. 6 LB Patrick Queen (Oblique) - Full
No. 23 CB Darius Slay (NIR - Resting Vet) - DNP
No. 24 CB Joey Porter Jr. (Hamstring) - DNP
No. 25 S DeShon Elliott (Knee) - DNP
No. 56 LB Alex Highsmith (Ankle) - DNP
No. 64 OL Max Scharping (Knee) - Limited
No. 90 LB T.J. Watt (NIR - Resting Vet) - DNP
No. 99 DT Derrick Harmon (Knee) - Limited
New England Patriots Participation/Injury Report, Week 3
Game Status
No. 0 CB Christian Gonzalez (Hamstring) - Questionable
No. 37 FB Jack Westover (Hamstring) - Questionable
No. 99 DE Keion White (Illness) - Questionable
Friday, September 19
No. 0 CB Christian Gonzalez (Hamstring) - Limited
No. 2 LB Harold Landry III (Foot) - Full
No. 7 CB Carlton Davis III (Achilles) - Full
No. 15 LB Marte Mapu (Neck) - Full
No. 37 FB Jack Westover (Hamstring) - Limited
No. 44 LB K'Lavon Chaisson (Hamstring) - Full
No. 58 OL Jared Wilson (Thigh) - Full
No. 76 T Morgan Moses (Foot) - Full
No. 90 DL Christian Barmore (NIR - Other) - Limited
No. 99 DE Keion White (Illness) - Full
Thursday, September 18
No. 0 CB Christian Gonzalez (Hamstring) - Limited
No. 2 LB Harold Landry III (Foot) - Limited
No. 7 CB Carlton Davis III (Achilles) - Limited
No. 15 LB Marte Mapu (Neck) - Limited
No. 37 FB Jack Westover (Hamstring) - Limited
No. 44 LB K'Lavon Chaisson (Hamstring) - Limited
No. 58 OL Jared Wilson (Thigh) - Limited
No. 76 T Morgan Moses (Foot) - Limited
No. 90 DL Christian Barmore (NIR - Other) - Full
No. 99 DE Keion White (Illness) - Full
Wednesday, September 17
No. 0 CB Christian Gonzalez (Hamstring) - Limited
No. 2 LB Harold Landry III (Foot) - Limited
No. 7 CB Carlton Davis III (Achilles) - Limited
No. 15 LB Marte Mapu (Neck) - Limited
No. 37 FB Jack Westover (Hamstring) - Limited
No. 44 LB K'Lavon Chaisson (Hamstring) - Limited
No. 58 OL Jared Wilson (Thigh) - Limited
No. 76 T Morgan Moses (Foot) - Limited
No. 90 DL Christian Barmore (NIR - Other) - Limited
No. 99 DE Keion White (Illness) - DNP
Bringing you the action: For fans who don't want to miss any of the action, NFL+ is here, which means you can now watch the Steelers live and on the go! Watch live local and primetime regular season games on mobile, plus NFL RedZone, NFL Network, live audio and more - all in one place.
