Predicting which Steelers’ players will not play vs. the Lions, and how long others will play

The Pittsburgh Steelers are continuing their preparation for the 2021 season as they are set to face the Detroit Lions in Week 2 of the NFL preseason Saturday night at 7:30 PM. While there were a number of Steelers who did not play in the previous two games, there will very few who don’t suit up this week.

While head coach Mike Tomlin did not specifically mention any players by name who will not be playing on Saturday, there are a couple players who are assumed to not take the field. The following list is players who I project will not appear in the game. With so few players this week, they will not be broken into categories.

Here are the possibilities of who won’t see the field on Saturday night:

OLB T.J. Watt- With no contract, there is no way Watt will play Saturday night and it is getting to a point where he won’t have the time in to play the following week.

DE Stephon Tuitt- With head coach Mike Tomlin hinting there could also be an injury issue with Tuitt, it’s starting to get to a point where some may question whether or not he will be ready for the regular season.

DB Antoine Brooks Jr.- Although he attempted to get back to practice this week, Antoine Brooks still couldn’t go fully in team activities. Unless he’s really improved over the last two days, he’ll probably miss this game as well.

WR Chase Claypool- After a big scare on Tuesday, Chase Claypool‘s injury is not as serious as some initially feared. Regardless, there’s no reason to rush back this week and risk the regular season.

Estimating how long some key players from the Steelers will play on Saturday:

QB Ben Roethlisberger- I’m thinking Roethlisberger will play somewhere between 12 and 18 snaps. Not knowing how the drivers will play out, this could be one, two, or even three possessions.

DL Cam Heyward, CB Joe Haden, S Minkah Fitzpatrick- I’m thinking these three players will all get about the same amount of playing time. I’d be surprised if it’s any more than two series and doubt it even extends into the second quarter.

The Starting Offensive Line- Being the first time they all practiced together this week, I believe the starting unit of Zach Banner, Trai Turner, Kendrick Green, Kevin Dotson, and Chuks Okorafor will play well into the second quarter and possibly the entire first half. If there is any substitute, I think it could be Dan Moore Jr. for Zach Banner.

So there is a list of players I think will not be playing the Steelers Week 2 preseason game against the Detroit Lions. Additionally, I projected how long some players seeing their first action will play. How did I do? Is there someone missing from the list? Is this how long you expect to see these players? Please leave your thoughts in the comments below.