No. 3 quarterback Skylar Thompson was a late-week add to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ injury report and has been designated as questionable to play in Sunday’s season opener.
Also questionable to face the New York Jets in East Rutherford, N.J., is No. 3 outside linebacker Nick Herbig. Herbig has been dealing with a hamstring injury for three weeks and has listed been a limited practice participant all week on the status report.
Friday, Thompson was listed as a limited participant because of a hamstring injury. If he suits up Sunday, it would be only in the role as “emergency” quarterback who can play only if the two other quarterbacks dressed for the game — Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph — suffer injury.
Signed to a reserve/future deal in January after spending his first three seasons with the Miami Dolphins, Thompson came on at the end of training camp and the preseason. When rookie Will Howard suffered a hand injury, Thompson made the team as the third quarterback. Howard is on injured reserve.
If Herbig cannot play, rookie Jack Sawyer would fill in as the top backup to the starting outside linebacker duo of T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith.
No other pure OLBs are on the 53-man roster, but Malik Harrison practices at inside linebacker and on the edge. On the practice squad at the position are converted defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal and International Pathways prospect Julius Weischof from Germany. One of them could get an elevation to the gameday roster for Sunday.
It had been previously announced that rookie first-round pick Derrick Harmon would miss the opener because of a knee injury suffered in the preseason finale.
