The Pittsburgh Steelers entered Sunday’s Week 2 visit to New England with a familiar look on the inactive list.
Head coach Mike McCarthy again kept hyped third-round rookie guard Gennings Dunker off the field, continuing a patient approach with the young interior lineman as the club opened its 2026 season on the road against the Patriots at 1 p.m. ET in Foxboro, the team announced.
Dunker was one of seven players Pittsburgh held out. Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. remained sidelined by lingering back issues and conditioning questions tied to his contract situation.
Wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. was ruled out a day earlier. The quarterback room saw both Will Howard and Drew Allar listed as inactive, while defensive linemen Kevin Jobity Jr. and Gabriel Rubio also sat. With nine offensive linemen on the 53-man roster, Dunker was the only one who did not dress.
The decision on Dunker wasn’t surprising, but it was disappointing given how popular of a draft pick Dunker was back in April. He had been a healthy scratch in Week 1, and the Steelers suffered no injuries along the offensive line in the interim.
Depth at the position remains a strength. Mason McCormick and Spencer Anderson were available at guard, Brock Hoffman and Ryan McCollum stood ready as interior reserves, and Zach Frazier started at center.
Analysts covering the team had already suggested it could be several weeks before the third-round pick sees the field on game day.
Howard’s status carried a specific designation. Although he did not dress, the second-year quarterback was designated the emergency third quarterback.
NFL rules would allow him into the game only if both Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph were injured. Allar, like Howard, has yet to appear in a regular-season contest and served as the fourth quarterback on the inactive list.
On defense, Pittsburgh dressed five of its seven defensive linemen. Cameron Heyward, Derrick Harmon, Keeanu Benton, Sebastian Joseph-Day and Yahya Black were active.
Rubio, a sixth-round selection at No. 210 overall, and Jobity, the lone undrafted rookie to make the final roster out of training camp, continued to wait for their first NFL snaps.
The pattern reflects a roster built with veteran reliability and young depth. McCarthy and the staff have chosen to keep established players in front of the newcomers while the season is still young.
For Dunker, Rubio and Jobity, the wait for regular-season playing time stretches into another week.
For the Steelers, the immediate focus remains a road matchup in New England with a healthy core of linemen already in place.
