The Pittsburgh Steelers received another blow to their defense today. Safety Damontae Kazee who would be eligible to return from injured reserve on October 3 now won't be eligible to return until October 10.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter JSKO_PHOTO)
According to ESPN reporter Brooke Pryor, Kazee will be allowed to serve his suspension while he's on injured reserve. He won't need to serve it after he comes off injured reserve.
Kazee, suspended for violating the league’s policy on substance abuse, gets to serve his three-game suspension while on IR, per source. https://t.co/c94FW0EwdV
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) September 21, 2022
While the suspension is hardly good news, the fact that he can serve it whole on injured reserve is a relief for most fans.
Kazee had a strong preseason after signing with the Steelers hours after the 2022 NFL draft concluded. It was believed Kazee would have a regular role in the starting defense even with Terrell Edmunds starting at safety over him.
The only issue with Kazee being suspended during his injured reserve stint is that he won't be eligible to practice with the team until much later than he would've been able to. If he is healthy by October 10 he will have 6 days to get ready for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
