The Pittsburgh Steelers have released their Week 2 depth chart ahead of their matchup against the New England Patriots.
They came out of Week 1 unscathed from injuries, so the roster remains the exact same as it was a week ago. With that, no changes were made to the depth chart.
Will Howard, Drew Allar, Gennings Dunker, Kevin Jobity Jr., Gabriel Rubio, and Joey Porter Jr. were inactive against the Falcons on Sunday. The Steelers elevated CB Doneiko Slaughter from their practice squad. It could be a similar setup in Week 2.
Porter was listed as a co-starter with Asante Samuel Jr. on the first depth chart, and they have that same designation in Week 2.
Mike McCarthy said Porter’s absence was his decision as part of an ongoing ramp-up period. But his contract issue is ongoing despite the in-season deadline having passed. McCarthy’s expectation is that Porter will play, but that remains up in the air amid a reported trade request.
Jamel Dean and Asante Samuel Jr. played well against the Falcons, but they were playing against a third-string QB in Cooper Rush. They have a much more difficult task this week against Drake Maye and the defending AFC champions. The Steelers’ CB depth was briefly tested on Sunday after an injury scare for Dean. Rookie CB Daylen Everette checked into the game.
Depth was also tested along the offensive line after Troy Fautanu briefly left the game with an injury. Max Iheanachor played just one snap at right tackle with Dylan Cook flipping back over to the left. That didn’t last long, but it still seems like only a matter of time before the first-round rookie leapfrogs Cook and becomes the starting right tackle.
This was the first opportunity for McCarthy to make changes to the regular-season depth chart and there were none. He may be like Mike Tomlin in that regard with very seldom changes to the weekly list.