Steelers inactive in Week 7 vs. Jets

The Steelers will be without several players due to injury tonight, including linebacker Nick Herbig, center Zach Frazier and running back Cordarrelle Patterson, all of whom were inactive after being ruled out Friday.

While the team is without Herbig, fellow linebacker Alex Highsmith is back in action for the first time since Week 3.

Highsmith's return should give the defense a huge boost.

“When you have another premier rusher, they have to account for both of them,” defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said. “These guys deal with it all the time.

“I don't think it affects TJ (Watt) because they're always going to do something to take care of him and that gives Alex some opportunities now. If that's the case, that leaves an extra man on defense. “That” helps us not having so many guys out there.

“So we’ll see how they approach the game. We’ll see how much Alex is willing and if he’s up for it.”

Highsmith missed three games with a groin injury, which wasn't easy for him.

“It feels great. “I’m just excited to get back out there this week,” Highsmith said. “I'm feeling really good. I was in good shape in training. I’m just excited and ready to get back out there.”

“It's been too long. For the first time in my career I missed a few games, so I'm not used to that. It'll be a great feeling to be out there with the boys again, especially in prime time.” Sunday night, it couldn't be better.

“I knew I couldn’t rush it. I definitely don't want it to last that long. And when I come back I want to make sure it's 100% there and I feel like it's there now. I had to be smart about it because I don’t want it to stay that way the rest of the season.

“I feel like things are going really well at the moment, so I’m ready to get going.”

Watt is happy to have Highsmith back on the team.

“He had a great week of practice,” Watt said before the injury report was released. “To bring a veteran like that back, I know he really wants to come back and just be able to offset the pass rush. Obviously, he’s also a phenomenal run defender. So if we could get him back that would be great.”

Even if Herbig is out, Jeremiah Moon will continue to be used as a full-back.

“Last week, the standard is the standard,” Highsmith said. “I think these guys gave us some energy. Moon has had a big impact on the special teams play not only on defense but with that blocking.”

“He’s been in the league for a few years now. He knows what he's doing. It’s huge that a guy like that can come in and give us some productive plays.”

The team also signed linebacker Ade Ogundeji from the practice squad to the 53-man roster on Sunday. Ogundeji was originally signed to the practice squad at the start of the regular season. He was promoted to the 53-man roster before the Raiders game. Ogundeji played 16 snaps against the Raiders and finished in pass defense. He was reinstated to the practice squad after the Raiders game.

Ogundeji was originally drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. In his rookie season he played 16 games, 11 of them as a starter. He finished that season with 33 tackles, one sack, one pass defense and one fumble recovery. In 2022, he started 16 games and finished with 42 tackles and one sack. He missed the 2023 season due to a foot injury.

With Frazier out, it will be Ryan McCollum making his second NFL start, his first at center with the Steelers.

“He was good,” McCollum running back Najee Harris said. “He’s very, very smart. His IQ in the games is very high. So we didn't really worry about his experience, we just knew his IQ in the game, decision making, things like that, defense, slides and so on that other people don't see. I think he's doing well.

“We are all happy for him too. It's the next man up mentality. We all need to be prepared for the next man to be at the helm.”

Tackle Dan Moore Jr. is confident in what McCollum will do with his opportunity.

“It’s the work he’s done,” Moore said. “I think he deserves the right to get his chance. I think he’ll definitely use it.”

“He has done a great job of developing the team. Every time he comes in there he sets everyone on the right path.

McCollum spent the last two seasons on the Steelers' practice squad after being claimed off waivers by the Detroit Lions, where he played in 13 games and started one. This week McCollum will make his first start in a Steelers uniform.

“I’m very excited,” McCollum said. “I was kind of waiting for it. I’ve been preparing for this for the last four years of my career and I’m just looking forward to putting my talents to the test.”

McCollum, who filled in last week against the Raiders when Frazier was injured, approaches every week as if he's the starter, but this week he's getting the reps that fit his mental approach.

“All the walk-throughs, the reps and all the different looks I’m going to get,” McCollum said. “If I can't do them, I just stand at the back and do mental reps because that's all the reps I get as a backup. But you have to be ready to go because there can be none. Immerse yourself whenever you go in.

The team also elevated receiver Brandon Johnson and running back Jonathan Ward from the practice squad to the active/inactive squad for the game.

Johnson originally signed with the Broncos as an undrafted free agent following the 2022 NFL Draft. He has been on the practice squad and active roster the past two seasons. Johnson was also named for the Week 5 game against the Cowboys.

Johnson has appeared in 20 games, including three, and has 25 receptions for 326 yards and five touchdowns. He played in 13 games in 2023, recording 19 receptions for 284 yards and four touchdowns.

Ward was also named to the Week 5 game against the Dallas Cowboys and the Week 6 game against the Las Vegas Raiders. Ward took part in the Steelers' rookie minicamp as a tryout and was subsequently signed.

In four seasons in the NFL, he has played in 43 games, carrying the ball 17 times for 69 yards, an average of 4.1 yards. He also has six receptions for 52 yards, an 8.7 yard average and one touchdown. Ward originally signed with the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent following the 2020 NFL Draft. He spent more than two seasons with the Cardinals before being traded to the Tennessee Titans in the 2022 season. He also spent the 2023 season with the Titans.

The full list of inactives can be found below.