The Pittsburgh Steelers walked away from their Week 7 loss relatively unscathed in the injury department. Cornerback Levi Wallace suffered his third different injury this season, as his shoulder bothered him near the end of the game against the Miami Dolphins. In his weekly press conference, head coach Mike Tomlin said Wallace's status for Week 8 is now in doubt.
Credit: Jordan Schofield/SteelerNation (JSKO_PHOTO Twitter)
Of the players that are active, Wallace seems to be the only player who may not be available against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. Fellow cornerback Josh Jackson suffered a groin injury, but Tomlin doesn't think it will affect his availability for the weekend. He did say that Jackson's practice availability may be a bit limited early in the week.
Tomlin did provide an update on the guys that are on IR, and it's not positive. Reigning Defensive Player of the Year TJ Watt continues to sit out, and the head coach does not have an update on him. The same can be said for rookie wide receiver Calvin Austin III, whose 21-day activation period is closing down. Austin began practicing on October 5th, so he will need to be activated this week in order to be able to see the field this season.
"This guy [Austin] hadn't played in a stadium yet anyway. It's more about development for him," Tomlin said in his press conference. "His overall readiness this weekend is probably not a high probability, and I'm just being straightforward."
Credit: Jordan Schofield/SteelerNation (JSKO_PHOTO Twitter)
Austin suffered his foot injury at training camp in Latrobe, making him unavailable for any of the preseason games. Tomlin did admit that he simply hasn't heard an update on Austin (or Watt). He'll seek an update later in the day on Tuesday, but he's been occupied by other things following the team's fifth loss of the season. Still, this isn't the best of news to begin the week. The team could greatly use his blazing speed, especially as the offense continues to struggle each and every week.
WR Chase Claypool has been heavily rumored in trade talks, as the trade deadline is just a week away. With Austin's unlikely return, it's hard to imagine general manager Omar Khan moving on from Claypool at this juncture. The likes of Miles Boykin and Gunner Olszewski would have to step in as the team's No. 3 WR, which wouldn't exactly inspire a ton of confidence in the offense. Claypool has stepped up the last two weeks as well after starting the season a bit slow.
The lack of an update on Watt isn't too much of a surprise. Just a few weeks ago, the star edge rusher suffered a setback, but for a different injury. He underwent knee surgery, completely different from the pectoral injury that he suffered in Week 1. After the news of the knee surgery, it was reported that Watt would likely return after the team's Week 9 bye.
Pittsburgh Steelers edge rusher, TJ Watt (#90) participates in 2022 training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA. | Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO
How big would a return from Austin be? When do you expect TJ Watt to return to the lineup? What were your overall thoughts from the team's Week 7 loss? Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below!
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