Joe Haden active in Week 15 for the Steelers against the Titans

The Pittsburgh Steelers have released their inactives for their Week 15 matchup against the Tennessee Titans at Heinz Field. With two players already ruled out due to injury, one still on the Covid List, and having one player elevated from the practice squad on Saturday, there are three healthy scratches and five total players on the list.

The Steelers full inactive list comes courtesy of Steelers.com.

Steelers Inactives

No. 3 QB Dwayne Haskins
No. 26 RB Anthony McFarland
No. 45 LB Buddy Johnson
No. 87 TE Kevin Rader
No. 96 DT Isaiah Buggs

It should be noted Montravius Adams is not on the inactive list because he is not technically on the Steelers active 53-man roster. When a player goes on the Reserve/COVID-19 List, it is much like going on the IR as they do not count towards the total.

The player most Steelers’ fans were patiently wait to see if he was inactive is cornerback Joe Haden. Missing the last four games altogether, and almost all of the previous one, Haden got back on the practice field in a limited capacity on Thursday before practicing fully on Friday. Listed as questionable, Haden is active for the game. In a wise move, the Steelers have chosen to have all their cornerbacks in uniform for the game.

The other player who was listed as questionable going into the game was tight end Kevin Rader with a hip injury. Limited in practice on Wednesday, Rader missed Thursday’s practice while being limited again on Friday. Only playing three total offensive snaps, one in each of the three games he has been active in 2021, using a roster spot on game day if Rader is not 100% was not something the Steelers deemed necessary.

The players on the inactive list who were ruled out previously due to injury are inside linebacker Buddy Johnson and defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs. Johnson landed on the injury report on Friday with a foot injury where he did not practice and was ruled out. Originally listed as questionable, Buggs was downgraded to out on Saturday and is missing his third-straight game. It was not very surprising that Buggs was not available as he did not practice on Thursday or Friday with his ankle injury.

As for the players who were healthy scratches, Dwayne Haskins is once again inactive for the fifth-straight week after getting a helmet for the first time this season in Week 10. Another familiar player on the Steelers inactive list is running back Anthony McFarland Jr. who was has been inactive for all but two games this season.

As for the Titans’ inactives, they can be seen below: