Steelers' Mike Tomlin: Ben Roethlisberger, all other healthy starters will play Saturday

The third preseason game is traditionally the one time in August that the Pittsburgh Steelers’ stars take the field in a stadium.

This year won’t be any different.

Coach Mike Tomlin, as expected, said Thursday that Ben Roethlisberger and the rest of the healthy first-team offensive and defensive players will play in Saturday afternoon’s game against the Tennessee Titans at Heinz Field.

“Our mindset is that those who are healthy are going to play,” Tomlin said during a news conference at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. “We’re going to leave the light on those for those that are partial (practice) participants.”

Teams are not requires to disclose injuries or practice/playing statuses during the preseason, leaving some suspense as to what Steelers are healthy enough to play. Tomlin listed receiver Antonio Brown, safety Morgan Burnett, linebacker T.J. Watt and defensive lineman Dan McCullers as those in the “partial practice participants.”

Those who Tomlin said would not play Saturday are those dealing with injuries that have kept them out of practice for a longer term: guard Ramon Foster (knee), cornerback Mike Hilton and tight ends Vance McDonald and Xavier Grimble.

Of McDonald, the oft-injured veteran tight end for whom much was expected this season, Tomlin said he’s “working his way through (his foot injury) and is closer to partial participation.”

Tomlin said that in direct contrast to the second preseason game at Green Bay last week, Roethlisberger and Landry Jones are the only quarterbacks assured of playing against the Titans. Tomlin said it is “not the plan” for youngsters Josh Dobbs or Mason Rudolph to play, but he did not rule it out either.

“We will see where it goes,” Tomlin said.

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Chris Adamski is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Chris at cadamski@tribweb.com or via Twitter @C_AdamskiTrib.