T.J. Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick Lead List of Steelers Out vs. Bucs

TAMPA, Florida —  The Steelers will be without a number of defensive backs against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, including rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr., who suffered an ankle injury on Sunday and was seen on Wednesday with ice around both of his legs. He did not finish the team periods that day, and that precipitated his not playing against the Buccaneers.

There will be multiple top veteran players that are not playing. Minkah Fitzpatrick, T.J. Watt, Larry Ogunjobi, Patrick Peterson, and Cam Heyward will all not suit up for the game. The Buccaneers are not playing any of their defensive starters, and it appears Pittsburgh is largely following that model.

Tre Norwood (right calf), John Lovett (undisclosed), Keanu Neal (undisclosed), and Damontae Kazee (left ankle) are all not playing as well. That means that Kenny Robinson and Miles Killebrew will likely start at safety, with others such as Trenton Thompson and Jalen Elliott should receive plenty of reps to rev up their chances at cracking the active roster or practice squad.

Meanwhile, others that were questionable, such as DeMarvin Leal (left ankle), Kevin Dotson (right shoulder), and Nick Herbig (hip flexor) will all suit up for the game. The Steelers are happy to have the rookie outside linebacker, who has put together one of the best training camps of any player thus far. He will get to battle Buccaneers’ starting right tackle Luke Goedeke.

The fourth-round pick has been a very consistent contributor on the second-team Steelers defense, working in behind T.J. Watt at left outside linebacker. The undersized Wisconsin product has drawn rave reviews for his quickness and pass-rush skillset.

Head coach Mike Tomlin said that anyone that is healthy enough will play on Friday against Tampa Bay. That does not appear to be completely true as an all-inclusive strategy, but most players are suiting up.

Alan Saunders contributed reporting from Tampa Bay.