The Steelers head into today’s game against the Minnesota Vikings without linebacker Alex Highsmith, who was ruled out early this week and didn’t make the trip to Dublin, Ireland.
The team will also be without cornerback Joey Porter Jr., who will miss his third straight game with a hamstring injury.
The Steelers secondary has dealt with their share of injuries early in the season, making the depth they acquired this offseason even more valuable. This offseason the Steelers beefed up the secondary adding multiple pieces and it is paying off.
“I feel like we’re pretty deep for the most part,” said safety Juan Thornhill. “We’ve got guys, second, third string guys that are ready to play at any moment. Everybody that stepped in has made a lot of plays.
“Getting guys back, that does nothing but gives us more momentum. Some guys are energy givers.”
The secondary as a whole hasn’t worked together much this season, with injuries the cause. It’s something Thornhill said you take the good with the bad.
“It stinks not having everybody out there, but it’s football,” said Thornhill. “Football is a contact sport. Injuries happen all the time. You get used to missing out on one or two players. You’ve just got to keep moving forward.”
One player who has stepped up with injuries is cornerback Brandin Echols. He referred to himself as a ‘plug and play’ guy this week, but he is much more than that.
“He hasn’t always been that number one guy in the defense,” said Thornhill. “We’ve got some older, veteran guys that have been number one.
“But every time he steps in, there’s no fall off. He just steps in and makes a lot of plays like he did against New England. He got in there, got the start and got an interception.
“So, he doesn’t miss any steps. He just prepares like a true pro.”
Also inactive this week is running back Jaylen Warren, while running back Trey Sermon was elevated from the practice squad to the Active/Inactive roster. Sermon was signed following a tryout during the Steelers rookie minicamp this year, but brought experience with him.
Sermon, who was also elevated for the Patriots game last week, has appeared in 43 games, starting five, over four seasons. He was also elevated for last week’s game against the New England Patriots. He carried the ball 134 times for 505 yards and three touchdowns. He spent the last two years with the Indianapolis Colts, appearing in 31 games, with three starts. He had 91 carries for 319 yards and two touchdowns.
He spent the 2022 season with the Philadelphia Eagles and 2021 with the San Francisco 49ers.
The full list of inactives is below.
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