Mike Tomlin wouldn't rule out any players for Sunday's preseason game in Nashville, Tenn., against the Titans.
But the week of practices usually tell that story, even if Tomlin isn't willing to do so.
Guys who don't participate throughout the week are unlikely to play, especially if they're rookies. And that means rookie receiver Diontae Johnson would normally miss his second preseason game after also sitting out the opener with a hip issue.
But because time is running out to evaluate players and decide on early-season roles, that might be different this week.
"We weigh this element of the evaluation heavily," Tomlin said Friday. "So won't eliminate anybody (from participation). Maybe even a couple of guys will have workouts at the stadium in an effort to give them every opportunity to participate."
Johnson, a third-round pick out of Toledo, hasn't practiced since catching three passes for 46 yards and a touchdown last Saturday night against the Chiefs because of an undisclosed injury. He could be one of the players to which Tomlin referred.
The Steelers want to get more of a look at Johnson after he missed large portions of OTAs, training camp and now two preseason games with leg issues.
There is some growing frustration regarding Johnson's availability among the coaching staff.
"He’ll contribute because he’s a quick study. He is intelligent. He’s obviously quick and he can execute routes," offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner said. "He’s still got a lot to learn. He’s got to get through the growing pains of pain and injury. It’s always preparing your body to avoid injury. That’s the thing that gets you first. You’ve got to get him through those things. I’m hopeful he can help us in some type of role."
What that role can be remains to be seen. But missing a lot of practice time doesn't help.
The Steelers were hopeful Johnson, a dynamic return man at Toledo, would be able to help in that capacity in his rookie season. But even that process has been slowed by his lack of availability.
Johnson understands the frustration, as well. He's frustrated himself.
"Yeah, but the only thing I can do is control what I can control," Johnson told me. "I'll do what I can to help the team out the best way right now."
Johnson's on-again, off-again availability could make things difficult for the Steelers when they do their final cuts on Aug. 31. As a high third-round draft pick, his spot on the 53-man roster is all but assured, unless the team wants to place him on injured reserve. But given his lack of practice time and playing time throughout the process, the coaching staff also might be unsure of what role Johnson can serve.
One thing Fichtner has liked is that, as he mentioned, Johnson has proven to be a quick study, even when he's not practicing.
"He has a chance, because he’s really sharp," Fichtner said. "I think he studies and I think he cares. He’s able to take mental reps and it is good for him. Some guys need physical reps and walk-through reps. I think he can see and not have to have that rep."
That's obviously been important throughout this process for Johnson as he's missed those valuable practice and game reps.
"I feel like I had some good momentum, but then stuff happens," he said of coming off his first game action. "It's day-to-day. I'll keep trying to do what I can and try to learn everything."
Expectations for his rookie season, however, might be waning. Then again, having a good rookie season isn't exactly an indicator of future success.
While many fans will point to the success JuJu Smith-Schuster had in his first season in 2017, it's much more common for rookies to have a year like that of James Washington in 2018. The team's second-round pick a year ago, Washington had just 16 receptions as a rookie.
Much more is expected of him this season after the departure of Antonio Brown.
But even if Washington had been more on the same page as Ben Roethlisberger in 2018, it still might not have added up to many more catches. He saw just 38 targets in his rookie season and wasn't likely to see many more because of the presence of Brown and Smith-Schuster on the roster.
Things might not be much different for Johnson this season, as he's expected to, at the very least, be behind Smith-Schuster, Washington and Donte Moncrief in the receiving pecking order. And that's even if he had been healthy the entire preseason.
"I remember when we had AB. AB was a punt and kick returner," Fichtner said referring to Brown's rookie season in 2010. "We didn’t use him until Week 13 or whatever and then he helped put us in the Super Bowl. I’m not saying I want to wait that long, but young guys, it takes time. Emmanuel Sanders, we played before AB. And that was only because they weren’t on the same time frame. He was a little bit more advanced, being in the system and doing the right thing. You have to do the right thing first."
