Predicting which Pittsburgh Steelers will sit out Week 3 of the preseason against Tennessee

With no injury report in the preseason, the best gauge for predicting which Steelers will sit out Week 3 of the preseason is Mike Tomlin’s remarks throughout the week. While nobody has been officially ruled out, there may be a few players who do not dress against the Titans.

Here are the possibilities of players who might get the night off in Tennessee:

Definitely:

OLB Olasunkanmi Adeniyi- Although not ruled out by Coach Tomlin, Adeniyi is just over a week removed from surgery. It’s safe to say he’s out.

Most Likely:

CB Joe Haden- Another player Mike Tomin failed to mention, Haden has been working his way back by working out on the side during practice. But Haden stated in an interview on Friday that he does not expect to play.

Possibly:

C Maurkice Pouncey- I don’t think he would have played the first two weeks of the preseason regardless, but Pouncey has been dealing with an injury. If he’s healthy enough to play, Pouncey will be out there as long as Roethlisberger is playing.

G David DeCastro- He’s in the same boat as Pouncey, except Coach Tomlin actually described DeCastro’s issue. Classified as “general soreness associated with camp,” I think Descastro and Pouncey will play all of their snaps together.

LB Vince Williams- Dealing with a hamstring injury all camp, it’s unclear how much action Williams has seen lately. Of all the players in this category, I believe he has the greatest chance of not playing Sunday.

TE Zach Gentry- The Steelers need some clarity as to their tight end depth. If Gentry can’t find his way onto the field this week, he may be fighting for a roster spot.

TE Vance McDonald- It was reported that McDonald missed practice on Monday. With the Steelers being very secretive about practice participation since they do not have to file an injury report, it’s unclear if he is going to be available or not. If McDonald does not play, the level on concern about the Steelers tight end depth chart will shoot through the roof.

TE Christian Scotland-Williamson- After missing the last preseason game, Scotty’s injury status has not been brought up. We’ll see if he’s recovered Sunday when the team takes the field.

OLB Sutton Smith- With his level of participation so limited throughout camp, Smith has a long journey in a short amount of time in order to make the Steelers’ roster. If Smith doesn’t play on Sunday, he’s all but assured himself that he will not be one of the Steelers’ 53.

WR Diontae Johnson- Can this guy go a week without missing time? Johnson has had at least three different injuries since the start of training camp. If he wants to be a part of the Steelers’ plans in 2019, he needs to get on he field Sunday to get some work with Ben Roethlisberger.

Unlikely:

Every player who isn’t dealing with an injury. No players will be ruled out for the sake of rest, but with so many players fighting to get on the field, some people may not get any game action due to lack of available time.

Final Thoughts:

Since Mike Tomlin said everyone is available for Week 3, there should be no players who are not dressed for reasons other than injury. If players like Joe Haden, Vince Williams, or Vance McDonald don’t see any action, it’s because they are still too dinged up to take the field. If they don’t even warm up in uniform, it will be clear that they are nowhere close to being ready to return.

Who do you think will sit out Sunday? Was there someone missing from the list? Feel free to leave a comment with your list of players we won’t see this week.