The Pittsburgh Steelers made several roster changes on the eve of their Week 3 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.
The team announced Saturday it signed running back Travis Homer to the active roster. Furthermore, the Steelers elevated running back Lew Nichols and defensive back Doneiko Slaughter from the practice squad to the active roster for Week 3.
To create room for Homer on the active roster, the Steelers also placed rookie guard Gennings Dunker on injured reserve.
With Homer and Nichols added to the roster, the Steelers have extra running back depth with Rico Dowdle set to miss Sunday’s matchup against the Dallas Cowboys. Fellow running back Jaylen Warren is also questionable ahead of the game because of a shoulder injury.
Homer and Nichols are joining the roster as extra depth behind Warren along with rookie running back Eli Heidenreich.
Slaughter will dress for his third consecutive game as a practice squad elevation. In the first two weeks, he played nine special teams snaps.
Dunker lands on injured reserve after suffering an injury at practice Thursday.
Steelers Sign Travis Homer, Promote Lew Nichols, Doneiko Slaughter to Active Roster
Dunker landing on injured reserve is unfortunate. But with that move, the Steelers were able to add three players to help them for Sunday’s important divisional showdown with the Bengals.
Homer played last week as a practice squad elevation. In Week 2, he had 16 rushing yards on two carries while playing just two offensive snaps. Homer also lined up for 10 special teams snaps. The contest was Homer’s first with the Steelers.
Nichols dressed in one game for Pittsburgh last season. He played six special teams snaps while not appearing on offense. But during the 2025 and 2026 preseasons, Nichols was a standout for the Steelers in the backfield.
Slaughter hasn’t registered a statistic yet for the Steelers. He made his NFL debut for the team in Week 1 this season.
After Week 3, Nichols and Slaughter will revert back to the team’s practice squad. Each player on the practice squad is permitted a maximum of three game day elevations per season per stint on the practice squad. This is Nichols’ first elevation but Slaughter’s third this season.
Steelers Place Guard Gennings Dunker on IR
The Steelers could be considering offensive line alterations ahead of Week 3. But any changes the team might make to the unit won’t include Dunker.
They also won’t for a while. With his placement on injured reserve, Dunker won’t be able to play again until Week 7. Every IR stint in the league requires missing at least four games.
Dunker is still waiting to make his NFL debut. He was a healthy scratch in Weeks 1 and 2.
The Steelers selected Dunker at No. 96 overall in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft. He was the third of three third-round picks the Steelers owned in the draft this past spring.
Without Dunker, the team will move forward with eight offensive linemen on the active roster. If the Steelers don’t start Spencer Anderson at right guard, it will likely be Brock Hoffman.
Ryan McCollum is Pittsburgh’s other interior offensive lineman option off the bench.
Steelers Add RB Depth to Active Roster, Lose Lineman 1 Day Before Bengals Game