Steelers Now
CHARLOTTE — Fifteen players are not dressed for the Pittsburgh Steelers in their preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers on Thursday.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin had already ruled out veterans Aaron Rodgers, DK Metcalf, Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt. Additionally, Isaac Seumalo will get the night off.
Several other Steelers players have been held out with injuries. Quarterback Will Howard (broken right pinky), wide receiver Calvin Austin III (oblique), tight end Jonnu Smith (knee soreness), guard Calvin Anderson (lower body, soft tissue), cornerback Cory Trice (hamstring) and cornerback Donte Kent (foot/ankle) will all miss the entire preseason with their injuries.
Guard Aidan Williams (knee), outside linebacker Nick Herbig (groin), long snapper Christian Kuntz (sternum) and safety Juan Thornhill (undisclosed) have had their preseasons cut short by injury.
Several Steelers players are dressed for the first time in the finale. Outside linebacker T.J. Watt, cornerbacks Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay, safety DeShon Elliott, inside linebacker Patrick Queen, running back Jaylen Warren and tight end Pat Freiermuth are all dressed for the first time after being held out as veterans the first two weeks.
Additionally, cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (hand) and center Ryan McCollum (leg) will return from injuries that caused them to miss the first two preseason games. Wide receiver Ben Skowronek will return after missing one game with a toe injury.
Of course, just being dressed doesn’t mean all those players will actually play. The Panthers are not expected to dress any of their starters for the final preseason game.
Gameday: Pittsburgh Steelers at Carolina Panthers 7 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: 15 Not Dressed for Steelers vs. Panthers; Several Stars to Debut
