PITTSBURGH — Less than a week after he was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is returning to the active roster and is expected to start Sunday night against the Chargers, the team announced Saturday morning.
Roethlisberger has passed the league’s required protocols for players who test positive for the virus, but he will fly separately from the rest of the team to Los Angeles. For players who are vaccinated and test positive, they must be asymptomatic and return two negative tests before they can return.
With Roethlisberger back, Mason Rudolph will return to his backup role, and Dwayne Haskins likely will be inactive as the No. 3 quarterback. Free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick remains on the COVID-19 list and will miss the game.
Roethlisberger participated in virtual meetings with the coaching staff all week in hopes of being activated in time to face the Chargers. Center Kendrick Green said Friday that Roethlisberger told him he was feeling better, and running back Najee Harris spoke with the quarterback Thursday to talk about how he was doing and a little bit about the game.
Rudolph operated the first-team offense in practice all week, so the game plan was built for him, according to coach Mike Tomlin. But Roethlisberger was preparing as if he would play and even watching practice from home, offensive coordinator Matt Canada said Thursday.
There was some concern about Roethlisberger possibly missing two games because of his positive test last Saturday, as opposed to earlier last week. It’s uncertain — but not unprecedented — for vaccinated players to “test out” of the league’s mandatory 10-day quarantine for those who are symptomatic. Roethlisberger, in that sense, is a success story in terms of the NFL’s looser standards for vaccinated players versus those who are unvaccinated.
Roethlisberger’s activation was the first of a slew of roster moves Saturday for the Steelers. They also placed starting left guard Kevin Dotson on injured reserve, meaning he won’t be able to return until he misses three games at minimum.
Elevated from the practice squad to the game-day roster for Sunday night are safety Karl Joseph, defensive lineman Daniel Archibong and outside linebacker Delontae Scott. Joseph is designated as a COVID-19 replacement for Fitzpatrick.
