The Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing for what could be the last game of the season where they are favored by a touchdown. Even though they are at home against the 3-9 Cleveland Browns, they should remember what just happened to them on Thursday Night Football in Week 12. The Browns would love nothing more than to finally sweep the Steelers and embarrass them at Acrisure Stadium. Like with every other game in this end-of-season gauntlet, the Steelers will need every able body they have, and they will hopefully get some more back this week.
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Steelers' Calvin Austin III runs with the football against the Chargers.
During his typical Tomlin Tuesdays press conference, Head Coach Mike Tomlin brought up a lot of good injury news, but one piece of bad news as well. For starters, Calvin Austin III is in the concussion protocol, so his status for the Steelers' Week 14 game is in question. If he cannot go, expect more snaps from guys like Mike Williams and Ben Skowronek, who received lots of praise after the team's Week 13 win.
Austin got rattled a couple times in the game, but after leaving early in the contest, he came back and caught a 23-yard touchdown pass to begin the second quarter. He later left the game with what was initially ruled as a head injury, and Tomlin confirmed that it was a concussion. His status will be tracked on a day-by-day basis.
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Steelers' Alex Highsmith gets ready for a play to start during an away game.
Steelers' Good News On Injury The Front
Tomlin named many players as guys that should return to face the Browns. The first thing he said was that he "fully expects" Alex Highsmith to return to the field. He has missed the last three games with a left lower ankle sprain. What makes this even better news is that Highsmith has previously stated that he wants to be 100% healthy when he plays, so there should not be any limitations with his production.
It is great to see Highsmith return, even with Nick Herbig's breakout. In each of the three games Highsmith missed, Herbig has managed to force a fumble, with the latest one being returned for a touchdown. The Steelers have great depth at that position, and getting Highsmith back will only help with that.
The Steelers also have a pair of candidates that could return from Injured Reserve (IR) for this contest. In fact, one of them has to come back to face the Browns or else he is out for the rest of the season. Cory Trice Jr.'s 21-day practice window expires on Thursday, so if he is not activated to the 53-man roster by then, he will miss the remainder of the 2024 campaign.
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Steelers' Cory Trice Jr. ahead of a preseason matchup with the Houston Texans in 2024.
Trice has been on IR after getting hurt all the way back in Week 3. With his injury history, the Steelers clearly wanted to play it safe and give him all the time in the world to come back, so he can be completely healthy for this final stretch. The Steelers could use some more depth at outside corner, especially when guys like Joey Porter Jr. have rough games like in Week 13.
Last but not least, Montravius Adams could potentially return from IR and provide more depth at the defensive line positions. Adams has not played since Week 7, and the Steelers miss his presence in the middle of the trenches. With Keeanu Benton seemingly struggling, the team could use that depth to take some of the workload off Benton's shoulders.
Adams still has plenty of time left on his 21-day practice window, so if he is not completely up to speed yet, they can let him rest this week and try again in Week 15, unlike with Trice at this point. Hopefully, he can return and bring a strong presence to the defensive line that the Steelers need more than they might realize.
What do you think about the Steelers' latest injury report? Let us know in the comments.
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