Steelers Camp — Sep 3: Elliott Out Four, Injury Unnamed

Pittsburgh spent its last practice-squad slot on Wednesday, and not on the veteran who was in the building. Juanyeh Thomas, a safety Indianapolis released Sunday and a Cowboy under Mike McCarthy, visited the South Side and left without a deal, per Josh Carney at Steelers Depot, despite Jeremy Fowler's report on Monday that he was signing. Carney's read going in was that a move could be made in the coming days with DeShon Elliott on injured reserve. The move was a rookie: undrafted safety Bishop Fitzgerald, five interceptions and All-American honors at USC last year, eight tackles in Tennessee's preseason, per Alex Kozora at Steelers Depot. That was the seventeenth and last practice-squad spot.

The reason the room needed one is on the reserve list, and Omar Khan and Mark Kaboly read it differently. Elliott's injured-reserve placement now has a window — first eligible in Week 5 against Indianapolis, so he misses Atlanta, New England, Cincinnati and Cleveland, per Jake Brockhoff at Steelers Depot — and still no confirmed injury. Khan's own quoted words are that the team is "just being smart"; the rest comes through Brooke Pryor, relayed by Brockhoff — Elliott has had no setbacks with his knee, but putting him on the list after the Jets game was the "right thing to do." Kaboly, on his Kaboly and Mack podcast, per Ross McCorkle at Steelers Depot: "Something's not adding up. We're trying to win now, that position is very light, so let's take it slow with this guy." Kaboly suspects the knee-and-hamstring injury from Week 8 last year was re-aggravated against the Jets; Khan denies a setback. Both are on the record. What the room looks like without him: Jaquan Brisker working back from a camp injury, on Khan's healthy-for-Week-1 list; Rayshawn Jenkins, signed August 2 and now wearing the number Kaleb Johnson's trade freed; and seventh-round rookie Robert Spears-Jennings, the 220-fourth pick, in line for defensive snaps — Gerry Dulac: "All I know is the Steelers REALLY like what they have seen from RSJ."

Joey Porter Jr. is the competing story, and it has a deadline. Activated from the physically-unable-to-perform list at cutdown, he began ramping up in Tuesday's walkthrough rather than practice, per Kozora, and McCarthy: "He's been working with the medical people. There's definitely a process." He is not expected to be a full participant when the injury report starts. Asked about Week 1, per McCorkle: "I don't know, I gotta go talk to my agents about that." Fowler's sourcing: the team's lack of a formal offer for weeks "sent the clear message to Porter that they would like him to play out the final year of his rookie contract," which had his camp discussing a trade or sitting out. Mike Garafolo of NFL Network: "Is it a threat? Is it something just to get the Steelers to move, or is it something that he really might follow through on?" Khan, per Troy Montgomery at Steelers Depot: "Joey knows how we feel about him, and I still hope Joey finishes his career here," and, on practice, "anyone that we feel is healthy and available to us, we expect them to practice." The team does not negotiate in season, per McCorkle, which puts the deadline at kickoff against Atlanta.

No waiver claim went Pittsburgh's way on Monday, and nobody Pittsburgh waived was claimed onto another 53 — the departures that mattered were the trades. The practice squad, 17 across three days, per Kozora's tracker. 13 on Monday, per the team, and on defense that was defensive backs Doneiko Slaughter and Sebastian Castro, defensive linemen Esezi Otomewo and Kyler Baugh, linebackers Jacoby Windmon and Julius Welschof, the Bavarian on the International Pathway. On offense, offensive linemen Doug Nester and Steven Jones, running backs Travis Homer and Lew Nichols, tight end Lake McRee, receivers Max Hurleman and Brandon Smith. Tuesday: cornerback Car'lin Vigers, undrafted out of Louisiana-Monroe; linebacker Bradyn Swinson, New England's 2025 fifth-rounder, off the Patriots' cuts; and receiver Brandon Johnson, on his fourth stint here. Wednesday: Fitzgerald. So 11 of the 15 we told you were waived came back, plus Homer and Otomewo from the five released veterans. Of the rest: cornerback D'Shawn Jamison signed to Arizona's practice squad Wednesday, per McCorkle, after 14 preseason tackles here; tight end Lance Mason, defensive lineman Anthony Goodlow and defensive back Devan Boykin have no reported destination; and Elandon Roberts, whom we told you the beat treats as a live return, is still nobody's transaction — Khan: "Not closing the door on that by any means. I have a lot of respect for E-Rob." Trai Essex on Nichols not getting the third running back spot behind Eli Heidenreich: "it was really sad to me." Nichols had 87 yards on 20 preseason carries to Heidenreich's 65, and Heidenreich scored.

Sunday's reserve moves, per the team: Elliott and offensive lineman Jack Driscoll on injured reserve with return designations, cornerback Donte Kent on the reserve physically-unable-to-perform list. No injury or timeline has been reported for Driscoll or Kent. One item our last episode did not carry: quarterback Will Howard and receiver Ben Skowronek entered concussion protocol after the finale, per Carney, and Khan expects both cleared for Atlanta.

Khan's Week 1 healthy list, per Chris Adamski at the Tribune-Review: Nowakowski, Howard, Metcalf, Pittman, Brisker, Joseph-Day. That moves two things off our page: DK Metcalf's return, which we called a quote rather than a sighting, and Michael Pittman Jr.'s one week of practice, are both now the general manager's expectation for the opener — with the caveat Ray Fittipaldo carries, that neither played a preseason snap: "I'm a little bit concerned about the receivers group," and if either goes down, "that depth is untested as you go down there." Aaron Rodgers on Pittman: "It is what it is. He was hurt. We've got to get him up to speed." The right tackle job the Broderick Jones trade opened is unresolved between first-round rookie Max Iheanachor and Dylan Cook, per Carney, and Adamski on starting the rookie: "I'd characterize myself as leery." Jones, from Dallas, on why it did not work here: "bouncing around positions, just not being able to get my feet set." Dan Graziano on the backfield after the Johnson trade: Rico Dowdle "is more likely to get the early-down work ahead of Jaylen Warren." And Dulac on the four quarterbacks: the emergency third is Will Howard, and one of Howard or Drew Allar is inactive each week.

Back in July we previewed Pittsburgh as the division's loudest regression profile — a seven-and-three record in one-score games and a +11 turnover margin were the two things we flagged as least likely to repeat — with the job of outrunning that math handed to Rodgers and a rebuilt receiver room. The numbers under it: 10 seven, the division title, an offense fifteenth in expected points added per play — the measure of how much each snap moved the expected score — a defense eighteenth, 48 sacks, sixth in the league, and 27 takeaways, tied for fourth. Cut day made it official that the offense gets assembled in September. This week said the parts will be there for it — Metcalf and Pittman on the healthy list — and said the defense that produced the turnover margin will open without its starting safety, with a starting cornerback ramping up in walkthroughs and talking to his agents. Nothing disproved the July read. The secondary got thinner this week, and every addition Pittsburgh made was to the practice squad.

Next is the Falcons, Sunday, September 13, at Acrisure Stadium. What to watch: whether Porter practices in game week, and who is at right tackle on the first snap. The Recap follows the game.

_Data via nflverse._