When the Pittsburgh Steelers take the field tomorrow night against the Carolina Panthers, don’t expect to see any starters out there on the field. Except, perhaps, Devin Bush, the team’s first-round draft pick, if he indeed opens the regular season as the starter along wide Vince Williams or Mark Barron, a pair of veteran linebackers.
Teams don’t want to play starters in the final preseason game (some don’t want to play certain starters at all anymore in the preseason) because their position on the team is already well-secured, it adds needless risk of injury, and it’s took close to the start of the real season.