Pittsburgh Steelers starters Rashard Mendenhall and Casey Hampton were removed from the physically unable to perform list on Friday, meaning they are eligible to practice and could see action when the Steelers regular season opens Sept. 9 at Denver, reports Profootballtalk.com.

Neither player is eligible to be placed on the regular season PUP list, which means that they’ll count against the 53-man roster unless they are placed on injured reserve or otherwise dispatched from the team.

Mendenhall, the starting running back and Hampton, a defensive tackle are both coming off ACL injuries. Hampton has said he will be ready to play Week 1.

Rashard Mendenhall is likely to miss the Steelers’ first six games of the season. (Justin K. Aller, Getty Images)

The Pittsburgh Steelers will likely start the 2012-2013 season without two key offensive starters. Running back Rashard Mendenhall and nose tackle Casey Hampton both suffered torn ACLs at the tail end of last season, and Steelers General Manager Kevin Colbert told the Pittsburgh Tribune he doesn’t expect either player to be ready for opening day.

“My guess is they’ll open the season on PUP (the physically unable to perform list),” Colbert said.

“You’ve got to remember both of those injuries happened late in the year.”

Players who start the season on the PUP list are, by NFL rule, ineligible to play for their team’s first six games of the season.