The Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this Friday night in their first preseason action of 2023. With it being the first preseason game of the year, fans naturally expect to see a typical workload from the starters. However, with only three preseason games, and a lot of younger players needing repetitions, what does a typical workload look like for this new Steelers team?

Mike Tomlin addressed the media Wednesday and spoke about that very topic leading up to the game Friday night.

The quick answer to who will, and won’t play is simple. If they are healthy, they are expected to play.

Mike Tomlin said all healthy players are scheduled to play Friday night. How much they play will be determined in the next 48 hours.

— Ray Fittipaldo (@rayfitt1) August 9, 2023

As for how long these players will, or won’t, play won’t be determined this far out from a preseason game. Nonetheless, you can expect a lot of action from the younger members of the team on Friday night.

Players who are nursing injuries, or could be held out, would include:

• Damontae Kazee
• Minkah Fitzpatrick (missed practice for personal reasons)
• DeMarvin Leal
• Tre Norwood

Obviously, veterans like Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt could have their reps either taken away, or limited in a meaningless preseason game. It was last year in the preseason finale when Watt had his knee rolled up on and eventually had a minor procedure during his stint on Injured Reserve (IR) to clean up the knee.

The goal is to achieve the progress you want to see from the team, all while not increasing the risk of injury in the process.

Be sure to stay tuned to SCN for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as the continue to prepare for the season at Saint Vincent College.

For a complete rundown of Mike Tomlin’s time with the media, check out the Press Conference Recap podcast below: