Predicting the Steelers’ inactive list for Week 17 vs. the Ravens

The Pittsburgh Steelers are heading into their second consecutive prime time matchup thanks to the NFL’s flex scheduling. As the season rolls on, the true nature of the depth chart has come much more into focus, but injuries are still a driving force when it comes to the inactive list every week. For Week 17, the Steelers have one player ruled out with two more being listed as questionable and could go in any direction.

The rules in the 2022 season when it comes to the players active on game day have been carried over from the last two seasons. As long as a team has eight offensive lineman who will be dressing for the game, they could have 48 players on their active roster rather than the 46 in previous seasons. If the Steelers elevate any players from their practice squad, their inactive list would increase by the same number of players. Playing on Sunday, the Steelers have until 4 PM today to make any roster moves or practice squad elevations. If there is any roster move done later today, an update will be added.

Game Status

OUT:
S Tre Norwood (hamstring)

QUESTIONABLE:
DL Larry Ogunjobi (toe)
LB Myles Jack (groin)

UPDATE: Larry Ogunjobi had his injury status removed.

Here are the possibilities to end up inactive for the Steelers against the Ravens on Sunday night:

Definitely:

S Tre Norwood- I’m not surprised at all Norwood ended up not practicing and being ruled out for this game. That is, once the Steelers actually got the injury report right as they originally had it listed as Cam Sutton.

Most Likely:

QB Mason Rudolph- Although it’s not good for him, Rudolph being back on this list is good for the Steelers because it means there are not health issues at the position.

G Kendrick Green- It would be really great for the Steelers if Kendrick Green is inactive every week. The health of the offensive line has been a big positive in 2022.

DL Jonathan Marshall- Although there’s a possibility of another player at his position missing the game due to injury, once Marshal was inactive two-straight games he bumped up to the ‘most likely’ category.

Possibly:

DL Larry Ogunjobi- We’ve seen this from Ogunjobi before where he played, but there was one time in Week 8 where he didn’t.

LB Myles Jack- Last week he was questionable and played, so it’s probably more likely that Jack is available again this week.

LB Mark Robinson- He’s been the odd man out at linebacker all season, so the possibility of Mark Robinson still being inactive has to be on the table.

LB Tae Crowder- He’s the new guy on the team, so it would also make sense if Crowder was inactive after only three practices with the Steelers since he was poached off the Giants practice squad.

Unlikely:

DL Tyson Alualu- I put Tyson Alualu as a possibility to be inactive ever since the Steelers added Jonathan Marshall. But since that time, his play has improved significantly. I think he keeps his helmet this season.

Projected Inactive List:

1. Tre Norwood
2. Mason Rudolph
3. Kendrick Green
4. Jonathan Marshall
5. Tae Crowder

Trey Norwood being ruled out kept Elijah Riley completely off the list this game after being added to the 53-man roster last week. Rudolph and Green are obvious choices so there’s nothing more to say about them. I still think the Steelers will stick with Jonathan Marshall inactive because of how well they have been playing against the run in the last two games. As for the last linebacker spot, I’m saying Mark Robinson gets the helmet and the new guy is inactive. Both of these moves or assuming that the questionable players of Larry Ogunjobi and Myles Jack both play. If not, then they replace their respective position mate on the list.

UPDATE: Along with Larry Ogunjobi having his status removed, the Steelers elevated defensive lineman Rennel Wren from the practice squad. This move, along with Ogunjobi playing, is very curious. The Steelers will already have enough defensive linemen available as I still have Jonathan Marsahall inactive. The only reasoning I can think of for the Steelers to do this is to not have another linebacker in what would be Marcus Allen’s spot and have two inactive. If that is the case, I have it narrowed down to Jack being injured or Mark Robinson still not being active. So I’ll pick one of them for my updated list of six players.

Projected Inactive List:

1. Tre Norwood
2. Mason Rudolph
3. Kendrick Green
4. Jonathan Marshall
5. Tae Crowder
6. Mark Robinson

As always, feel free to list your projected inactives in the comments below.