Pittsburgh Steelers

Joey Porter Jr.

CB

Porter was a limited participant in all three practices this week. The cornerback was unable to ramp up to full practice as the Steelers hoped, which may be telling about the 2023 second-rounder's status for Sunday's game. Porter has also express frustration about not yet reaching terms on a contract extension with Pittsburgh, which could be a factor in whether he ultimately plays as well.

Brandin Echols

CB

Echols was tending to an issue with his ankle back in August, but he's now back up to full strength ahead of Week 1. The size of his role in Week 1 could depend somewhat on the availability of Joey Porter (back).

Jalen Ramsey

CB

Ramsey was activated off the active/PUP list in late August prior to cutdown day. The starting slot cornerback for the Steelers missed most of training camp with a knee injury but has regained his health in time for the regular season.

Jaquan Brisker

S

Brisker was unable to participate in the preseason due to a persistent undisclosed issue. The starting free safety appears to have overcome the injury just in time for the first official week of regular-season practice and is all set to go for Sunday's game against the Falcons.

Ben Skowronek

WR

Skowronek was placed in concussion protocol at the end of August after the wide receiver suffered a head injury in the Steelers' 28-27 preseason loss to the Bills. The 29-year-old progressed through the entirety of the league's five-step protocol and was cleared by an independent neurologist before Wednesday's first official practice.

DK Metcalf

WR

Neither Metcalf nor fellow WR Michael Pittman (hamstring) showed up on Wednesday's report after both players missed a good portion of training camp and the entire preseason slate due to health concerns. Now that Metcalf is back to 100 percent, he and Pittman are ready to take on a good portion of QB Aaron Rodgers' passes Sunday against the Falcons.

Michael Pittman Jr.

WR

Pittman and DK Metcalf (undisclosed) missed time in training camp and the preseason due to their injuries, but the Steelers will have both of their top wideouts available heading into Sunday's season opener versus the Falcons. With running back Kenny Gainwell moving on to Tampa Bay this offseason after a 73-catch season with Pittsburgh in 2025, Pittman will be a strong candidate to absorb some of the vacated short- and intermediate-area targets from quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

DeShon Elliott

S

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Pat Freiermuth

TE

Through five campaigns as a pro, Freiermuth has played at least 16 regular-season games on four occasions, and his tally of 486 receiving yards from 2025 marked his lowest among them. He was on the receiving end of passes from QB Aaron Rodgers for the first time, and with Rodgers returning for his age-43 season, Freiermuth likely isn't in store for much more production, even if the addition of WR Michael Pittman frees up more space for the tight end to operate.

Aaron Rodgers

QB

Rodgers didn't suit up in the preseason, and coach Mike McCarthy tied his decision to do so to the fact that Metcalf and Pittman weren't healthy enough to play. Even if one or both of Metcalf and Pittman aren't available for the regular-season opener, Rodgers wouldn't be a consideration to be inactive, but it appears the duo will be able to suit up, barring any setbacks in the meantime. Rodgers led a Steelers offense in 2025 that didn't have much talent at WR aside from Metcalf, but the quarterback still completed 65.7 percent of his passes for 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions in 16 regular-season games.

Will Howard

QB

Howard experienced concussion-like symptoms during last Thursday's 28-27 preseason loss to Buffalo, though he still managed to finish the first half. The 2025 sixth-round pick has has yet to play a regular-season snap for the Steelers, and he's unlikely to do so again in 2026 unless both Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph are sidelined simultaneously at some point.

Rico Dowdle

RB

Despite Warren being the top incumbent running back in Pittsburgh, Graziano believes that Dowdle is a better bet to handle early downs out of the backfield, not only due to his experience working with new coach Mike McCarthy in Dallas but because of his combined 471 carries over the last two seasons. Both campaigns resulted in more than 1,000 yards on the ground for Dowdle, while Warren has topped out at 958 rushing yards (2025) in his four-year career. Warren does have the advantage in pass-catching chops, with 139 receptions over the last three years. As a result, both players are in line for weekly usage for the Steelers.

Jaylen Warren

RB

With Kenny Gainwell moving on to the Buccaneers in free agency, Warren is the top incumbent running back in Pittsburgh, but Dowdle has taken Gainwell's place. Dowdle's previous experience with new coach Mike McCarthy in Dallas could dampen Warren's early-down role somewhat, but according to Graziano, Warren should take on the bulk of the pass-catching work out of Pittsburgh's backfield, as evidenced by his 139 catches in 48 regular-season games over the last three campaigns. Overall, Warren handled a career-high 251 touches in 2025, while Dowdle is coming off back-to-back seasons with 274 (with the Cowboys) and 275 (in Carolina), so both should be busy on a weekly basis this fall.

Darnell Washington

TE

QB Aaron Rodgers and WRs DK Metcalf (undisclosed) and Michael Pittman (hamstring) didn't suit up during exhibition season, but Washington was among the regular members of the Steelers offense to see some work along the way. Washington is coming off a career-best 31-364-1 line on 43 targets in 16 regular-season games in 2025, and he's also logged between 497 and 560 offensive snaps in each of his three pro campaigns. Still, with Pat Freiermuth locked in to the top pass-catching TE role, Washington will need to take advantage of his sparse looks from Rodgers.

Jack Driscoll

OT

Driscoll will now need to miss at least four games of the regular season on injured reserve before he is eligible to return to the Steelers' active roster. The offensive tackle is dealing with an unknown issue, and it is unclear if he will need more than the minimum required time to recover.

Donte Kent

CB

Kent spent all of training camp on the active/PUP list, enabling the cornerback to start the regular season on the reserve/PUP list. The 24-year-old will need to miss at least the first four games of the regular season before he is eligible to return to the active roster.

Riley Nowakowski

FB

The 2026 fifth-round pick was on the other end of the first pass attempt of the night from Will Howard (head), as Nowakowski worked with the first-team offense in the absence of the Steelers' regular starters. While he was purely a tight end in college, the Steelers are viewing Nowakowski as more of a hybrid fullback/TE, and that versatility could help him land a spot on the Week 1 roster.

Kaden Wetjen

WR

The 2026 fourth-round pick took advantage of Buffalo being forced to punt out its end zone in the fourth quarter, catching the ball on the Bills' side of midfield, surviving some initial contact and then reversing course to jet down the left sideline to the house. Wetjen returned six kicks for TDs in three seasons at Iowa, but he doesn't offer much value on offense, so it remains to be seen whether the Steelers will carry the return specialist on the Week 1 roster.

Eli Heidenreich

RB

The rookie seventh-round pick showed some of his versatility by making a positive impression on special teams while also scoring Pittsburgh's only rushing TD of the night, taking a pitch from Drew Allar and churning his way through traffic from nine yards out in the third quarter. Heidenreich is fighting for a spot on the 53-man roster, but he curiously didn't catch a pass in the preseason despite that being his main strength in college, making it tough to evaluate his chances of sticking around behind the clear top backfield duo of Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle.

Germie Bernard

WR

The Steelers rested their starters and key personnel, but Bernard played the first quarter and connected with Will Howard (head) on a one-play scoring drive after Buffalo's Ray Davis muffed a punt. Bernard's usage Thursday would seem to suggest he'll begin the season No. 4 on the wide receiver depth chart behind DK Metcalf (undisclosed), Michael Pittman (hamstring) and Roman Wilson, but the 2026 second-round pick could find himself in a key role early if either of the injured veterans ahead of him wind up not being ready for Week 1.

Drew Allar

QB

Will Howard (head) played the entire first half and Allar the second, with both Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph getting the night off, but neither young quarterback did much to distinguish themselves in the battle for the No. 3 spot. Howard was evaluated for a potential concussion after the game, which could be enough to tip the scales in Allar's favor, although the Steelers always seemed likely to find a way to keep all four QBs on the roster. If Allar does make the cut, the 2026 third-round pick would need injuries ahead of him to see the field in a meaningful way as a rookie.

Mason Rudolph

QB

Rudolph has likely already secured the backup quarterback role behind Aaron Rodgers to start the 2026 regular season. Thursday night's contest once again saw a half of Will Howard (head) and a half of Drew Allar at quarterback, leaving Rudolph to rest with Rodgers as they await the regular season.

Max Iheanachor

OT

Iheanachor was able to practice for the first time since suffering a shoulder injury Aug. 6. The 2026 first-round pick now has a chance to play in Thursday's preseason finale versus Buffalo.

Roman Wilson

WR

Wilson has been one of the standout players in training camp, but that level of play has not translated to games. Both of the interceptions that Will Howard threw in the second quarter were throws targeted to Wilson, and Mike DeFabo of The Athletic believes that Wilson could have run flatter routes to prevent those turnovers. The 2024 third-rounder is currently listed as the Steelers' WR3 behind DK Metcalf (undisclosed) and Michael Pittman (hamstring), but more lackluster play in games could result in Wilson dropping behind rookie second-rounder Germie Bernard on the depth chart. The Steelers will wrap up their slate of preseason games Thursday on the road against the Bills.

Chris Boswell

PK

Undrafted rookie Laith Marjan was given a chance to prove himself Friday night while Boswell rested. Marjan had an uneventful night, attempting only one kick. The rookie missed a 44-yard field goal wide left, not providing much tape to push Boswell to compete. Boswell signed a four-year extension in May after converting 27 of 32 field-goal attempts in 2025.