Gunner Olszewski inactive for the Steelers in Week 5

The Pittsburgh Steelers have released their inactives for their Week 5 matchup with the Bills in Buffalo. With two players being ruled out due to injury, the list is made up of five healthy scratches. With new roster rules which began in 2020, teams will only need to have five players inactive each game unless they elevate any players from the practice squad. With the elevation of Josh Jackson and Elijah Riley coming from the Steelers on Saturday, the seven-man list comes courtesy of Steelers.com.

Steelers Inactives

No. 2 QB Mason Rudolph
No. 25 CB Ahkello Witherspoon
No. 34 S Terrell Edmunds
No. 53 G Kendrick Green
No. 89 WR Gunner Olszewski
No. 92 DE Isaiahh Loudermilk
No. 93 LB Mark Robinson

For four of the seven players, this is the fifth-straight game being on the inactive list. Cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon, who left the Steelers Week 3 matchup with a hamstring injury, is missing his second-straight game. Joining Witherspoon this week as a player missing the game due to injury is safety Terrell Edmunds who missed the second half of last week’s game with a concussion. Despite returning to practice in a limited capacity the last two days this week, Edmunds will miss only his second game of his career with the first being Week 17 of 2020. Cornerback Josh Jackson and safety Elijah Riley were elevated from the practice squad on Saturday to fill the active spots of Witherspoon and Edmunds.

The big change this week came in wide receiver Steven Sims getting a helmet for the first time this season. With Gunner Olszewski fumbling two punts in four games, Sims told reporters earlier this week he would be getting an opportunity this week. Sims is replacing Olszewski on the active roster this week who finds himself on the inactive list for the first time in a Steelers uniform.

Even though the Steelers made big changes at the quarterback position this week, they did not make their way all the way down to the third spot on the depth chart. For this reason, it’s not surprise Mason Rudolph is on the inactive list for the fifth-straight game. Carrying nine offensive linemen, the NFL rules allow 48 players to be active as long as eight of them are on the offensive line. Therefore, the additional lineman who is inactive for the Steelers in Week 5 once again is guard/center Kendrick Green.

One position group the Steelers have kept on their 53-man roster is having seven defensive linemen. With the Steelers only typically having five defensive linemen active on game day in previous years, they have chosen to go with the six again in Week 5. Although some fans would like to see if he can help the Steelers in stopping the run, Isaiahh Loudermilk did not get a helmet for the fifth-straight week to start the season.

Another position on the defense where the Steelers possibly have one more player than needed on game day is at inside linebacker. While many were happy to see rookie seventh-round draft pick Mark Robinson make the team, he has yet to dress on game day through the Steelers five games of the 2022 season.

As for the Bills inactives, they can be seen below courtesy of Steelers.com once available. Two players who were questionable for the Bills and are out for the game are WR Isaiah McKenzie and LB Tremaine Edmunds.

Bills Inactives

No. 6 WR Isaiah McKenzie
No. 15 WR Jake Kumerow
No. 21 S Jordan Poyer
No. 47 CB Christian Benford
No. 49 LB Tremaine Edmunds
No. 67 OL Justin Murray
No. 88 TE Dawson Knox