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ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — As listed on the official depth chart released by the Pittsburgh Steelers this month, only three first-team players made it into Thursday night’s preseason game at the Buffalo Bills. Each, too, comes with an asterisk. Fullback Riley Nowakowski and nose tackle Yahya Black — one each of 12 starters on offense and defense listed on the document the Steelers published Aug. 5 — were among the most prominent names to appear for the Steelers in their preseason finale. Aside from the quarterbacks and rookies, the most recognizable Steelers player getting onto the field at the new Highmark Stadium was Dylan Cook. Cook is listed as a starter at right tackle, but Cook played the entire first half at left tackle. Broderick Jones started on the right side. The rest of the starting offensive line did not play. Nether did the first-team running backs and receivers and, of course, veteran quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph. Rudolph was in uniform, likely to serve in an emergency situation. Rodgers did not make the trip. Iheanachor debut Three of the Steelers’ top rookies sat out their the Aug. 21 preseason game against the New York Jets. Each played Thursday, with first-rounder Max Iheanachor making his pro debut. Iheanachor entered the game during the second quarter at right tackle for the start of the Steelers’ fifth possession. He was the only non-starter to check in at that point, replacing fellow former first-rounder Jones. During his second offensive series, Iheanachor was beat cleanly by Andre Jones Jr. for a Jones sack of Will Howard. A pair of third-round picks returned after missing last week’s game because of undisclosed injuries. Cornerback Daylen Everette and guard Gennings Dunker each started and played the entire first half against the Bills. Dunker played right guard. Competition updates Cook playing the entire first half at left tackle signals he has far from nailed down the starting job at right tackle. Iheanachor and Jones are options. Cook was running as the first-team right tackle during organized team activities in May and has not formally or informally been passed on the depth chart since, although coach Mike McCarthy has increasingly been giving Cook reps at left tackle in recent weeks. That Spencer Anderson was not in uniform suggests his status as the starting right guard is safe. Echols returns A five-year NFL veteran of 22 career starts who appeared in 47% of the Steelers’ defensive snaps last season, Brandin Echols’ presence was notable as a starting cornerback. But what made Echols’ presence newsworthy was that he had missed more than two weeks of practice because of an ankle injury suffered during a training-camp practice. Echols had missed the Steelers’ first two preseason games. They’re the captains now In a telling sign of the lack of starters playing, the three Steelers who came out for the opening coin toss were outside linebacker Jack Sawyer, receiver Max Hurleman and Black. The Steelers deployed a different trio of captains for each preseason game. Pick for Hamlin McKees Rocks native Damar Hamlin had an interception for a second consecutive preseason game when he picked off Howard early in the second quarter. An alumnus of Central Catholic and Pitt, Hamlin is in his sixth season with the Bills after joining them as a sixth-round pick in 2021. During Buffalo’s second preseason game, Hamlin intercepted a pass from the Cleveland Browns’ Shedeur Sanders. Metcalf restructured The Steelers opened up salary-cap space early Thursday by restructuring the contract of receiver DK Metcalf. Acquired via trade last season and signed to a four-year, $132 million extension, Metcalf was due $25 million in base salary in 2026. The Steelers converted much of that into a lump-sum payment that eased the cap hit for this season. The NFL Network reported that the transaction freed up about $18 million. According to spotrac.com, the Steelers entered the week with the fewest available salary-cap dollars of any team at $3.78 million. There are a handful of other veterans who can easily be restructured to create more cap space, and any unused cap space this season can carry over into 2027. While the Metcalf restructure triggered optimism the Steelers were on the verge of an agreement on a contract extension with cornerback Joey Porter Jr., that is unclear. The Steelers routinely like to maintain flexibility as they head into a season in order to be able to pursue any unexpected transactions. Time off The Steelers are not expected to go through a full practice until Tuesday, though a light walkthrough-style might be conducted Monday at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. The collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and its players association requires that players be given the weekend off before the start of Week 1 of the regular season.