The Pittsburgh Steelers are now less than 90 minutes away from kickoff in Week 2 of the 2023 NFL season. Hosting the Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football, the Steelers need to shake off the stink of their Week 1 performance.

As is always the case, 90 minutes before kickoff is when teams must announce their inactive list for the upcoming game. With 48 players active for each team, the number of players on the inactive list depends on if a team makes any practice squad elevations. With the Steelers not elevating one player earlier today and placing two on the Reserve/Injured List (IR), their inactive list is four players while the Browns have the typical five players.

New to the 2023 season is a modified return of the “third quarterback rule.” Every NFL team who has a third quarterback on their 53-man roster will include him on their inactive list, but he is designated as a third quarterback and is therefore in uniform in case of injury to the two players ahead of him on the depth chart. But if one of the players is deemed healthy enough to return, the third quarterback goes back to their role on the sideline.

Here are the five players inactive for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Week 2 against the Browns according to Steelers.com.

Steelers Inactives

No. 2 QB Mason Rudolph (3rd QB)
No. 25 CB Desmond King
No. 60 T Dylan Cook
No. 82 WR Dez Fitzpatrick

Mason Rudolph is on the list as the Steelers third quarterback and will be in uniform which is technically an upgrade from last season. Joining Rudolph on the inactive list again this week is the Steelers ninth offensive lineman Dylan Cook.

With 11 players in the defensive secondary on the roster, the Steelers have made newly acquired Desmond King inactive again this week. Joining the Steelers August 30th, King apparently needs more time to get up to speed in order to factor better in the Steelers defensive game plan as well as outperform an other members of the Steelers secondary.

The other player inactive for the Steelers is wide receiver Dez Fitzpatick. With Diontae Johnson going on IR earlier today, Gunner Olszewski has moved up the depth chart to get a helmet this week and leaves Fitzpatrick as the odd man out. With Anthony McFarland also landing on IR today, Olszewski could also serve as the Steelers primary kick returner.

As for the Browns inactive list, they can be seen below. Wide receiver Amari Cooper is active.

Browns Inactives

No. 25 CB Kahlef Hailassie
No. 33 SS Ronnie Hickman
No. 56 C Luke Wypler
No. 57 DE Isaiah McGuire
No. 62 DT Siaki Ika