Steelers Talk Family and Two-Back Sets; 49ers Injury List Grows
Pittsburgh spent its media availability answering questions about family. San Francisco spent it answering questions about availability. Around the league, the two clubs offered a study in what October actually asks of a team: who can play, and who can keep their head in it.
Pat Freiermuth said the Steelers are keeping players informed about how to track developments if anything happens 'over there,' and that the NFL met with players to explain what is going on. He also said players did not raise safety concerns about the trip; their concerns centered more on family. That is the right way to handle it. The Steelers are not pretending the world stops at the sideline. My read: a locker room that can name its anxiety is more focused, not less. The team that says 'here is how you track it' beats the team that says 'don't worry about it.' What would make me wrong is if the questions keep coming in November.
Rico Dowdle said he is fully past his injury, and that sitting out that week instead of returning early was probably beneficial. He also said the Steelers have packages where he and another running back are on the field together. That is the interesting part. Two-back sets are not nostalgia; they are a way to force a defense to declare its intentions. My read: Dowdle's real value this season is as a matchup piece, not a between-the-tackles bell cow. It helps him stay fresh and helps the Steelers create lighter boxes. It hurts a defense that wants to stay in its base package. I expect the package to show up more on first and second down than in short-yardage. What would make me wrong is if the offensive line cannot hold up and they need an extra blocker.
Kyle Shanahan said Deebo will not practice because of a hamstring injury. Wallow (hamstring), Mikel (knee), Neal (knee), Stout (shoulder), Evans (Achilles), and Siegel (ankle) also will not practice, and Bosa and Caffo will not practice either. Greenwall will participate. That is a long list for a midweek practice report. Deebo's hamstring is the one that scrambles the plan because he is the player who makes the offense go sideways. Bosa's absence from practice is the one that changes the defense. My read: the 49ers can survive an October practice report, but the margin for error is thin. Greenwall is the immediate beneficiary. The cost is rhythm for the first-team offense. Prediction: Deebo plays this week, but his snaps are managed. If he does not, Shanahan's offense becomes a lot more conventional, and that is a problem.
Field Yates projects three quarterbacks in the top 10 of the 2027 draft, two months into the college football season. That is the quarterback industrial complex at work. Three QBs in the top 10 in October is a projection that will change, but it tells you how teams think: they would rather reach for the position than build the roster first. My read: at least one of those three will not be a top-10 pick by the time the draft arrives, because the college season has a way of sorting this out. The teams that lose the most are the ones that talk themselves into a quarterback because of need, not grade. Yates is not wrong to project it. He is reading the league's appetite.
What ties the day together is the unglamorous work. Pittsburgh is managing the human side. San Francisco is managing the medical side. The draft conversation is managing hope. The teams that handle communication and hamstrings are the ones that get to worry about the draft in January. My verdict: the Steelers' approach will look smart if the locker room stays steady, and the 49ers' injury list will look a lot scarier if Deebo's hamstring lingers. I would bet on Pittsburgh handling the week better than San Francisco, because one club is talking about family and the other is talking about who cannot practice.