After three weeks of having injuries dictate who is inactive on game day, the Steelers head into tonight's game against the Seattle Seahawks a relatively healthy team.
Yes, the team will be without receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, who was placed on the Reserve/Injured list on Saturday with a shoulder injury that required surgery.
On the good news front at receiver, Chase Claypool and James Washington, who were both dealing with injuries during the week, are active tonight.
The Seahawks are also dealing with their own issues as quarterback Russell Wilson underwent surgery on his injured finger this week. Wilson, as well as running back Chris Carson, were both placed on the Reserve/Injured list this week.
Geno Smith will make his first start at quarterback in almost four years, but the defense knows how dangerous he can be.
"It's a great challenge," said linebacker T.J. Watt. "He's been in the system for quite some time, and this isn't a situation where they're just going to hand the ball off and not trust him. I feel like they have a lot of trust with him just off the last game they played, even though it's the back half of the game. He was slinging the ball. He looks comfortable in the pocket, and he's dangerous with his legs. It'll be a great challenge for us."
A player the Steelers are happy to get back in the fold is cornerback Cameron Sutton. Sutton was inactive last week against the Broncos but is back healthy this week.
"Cam is great," said linebacker Joe Schobert. "He's a great voice on the field. In certain sub situations, me and Cam are working opposite of each other, and we've got to be on the same page. He's a reassuring voice. He's been here for a long time. He knows what he's talking about. He studies very hard during the week. He knows what the other team is trying to do in certain formations and how they're trying to attack us, so it's good to have him out there and be able to talk back and forth pre-snap."
One player who continues to be on the inactive list is defensive lineman Carlos Davis. While Davis has been practicing in a limited fashion with a knee injury that has been nagging him all season, he will still miss his fifth straight game, inactive tonight.
Offensive tackle Zach Banner, who was activated from the Reserve/Injured Designated for Return List on Saturday, will not dress tonight and is among the Steelers inactives.
The full list of inactives is below.
Steelers Inactives
No. 3 QB Dwayne Haskins
No. 25 CB Ahkello Witherspoon
No. 45 LB Buddy Johnson
No. 72 OT Zach Banner
No. 73 DT Carlos Davis
Seahawks Inactives
No. 29 CB John Reid
No. 64 C Dakota Shepley
No. 70 T Cedric Ogbuehi
No. 78 T Stone Forsythe
No. 85 TE Tyler Mabry
No. 91 DE LJ Collier
* In a related note tonight, defensive coordinator Keith Butler will fill the role of inside linebackers coach tonight in place of Jerry Olsavsky (personal reasons).
