Here is each team’s list of inactive players:
The news all week was focused on the team managing some back soreness with Joe Burrow. But as he and the coaches stated over and over, he is ready to play in this game.
That saga really overshadowed the return of defensive lineman Shemar Stewart, who has been out since early in training camp with a hyper-extended knee. An injury that initially looked much worse. Now we get to see him in his second season with the team. Now without Hill, we will have to see if Clowney or any other EDGE players need to kick inside. Surprisingly, Landon Robinson wasn’t active, but it is a numbers game.
Important note: Johnson is not an emergency third quarterback. He would have had to be a third quarterback on the 53-man roster. He was called up from the practice squad as part of the extra two players who could have been named active.
There may be no bigger inactive this week than the Texans losing wide receiver Collins to a hamstring injury. The team is already thin at wide receiver after losing some contributors this offseason to injury. He had 10 targets last week with seven receptions for 75 yards and a touchdown. Clearly, one of CJ Stroud’s favorite targets.
However, you also don’t want to be down your starting guard with Dexter Lawrence and that defensive line coming to town after Ingram’s injury.
Clowney would also be a great addition to their pass-rush rotation, potentially keeping Burrow under pressure. Not that they are lacking that without him, but he could have been the cherry on top.