Steelers Fans Get Direct Update From Mike Tomlin On Jalen Ramsey And Calvin Austin

The Pittsburgh Steelers are gearing up for one of their favorite times of the year: getting to play the Cleveland Browns at home. Pittsburgh is coming off of its bye week, while Cleveland just got back from a game in London and immediately has to go on the road. The Browns have not won a regular season game in Western Pennsylvania since 2003, and it will be tough for rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel to deal with this big-play defense. As of now, things are looking up for the Black and Gold. 

During his weekly Tomlin Tuesday press conference, Head Coach Mike Tomlin gave a very exciting injury report. He started off by confirming what some of his players said on Monday, as he is expecting the return of Joey Porter Jr., Alex Highsmith, and Jaylen Warren. Porter's return is the biggest one here with how the depth of the cornerback room has been tested in recent weeks.

However, he also went against a couple of reports on other injuries that came out on Monday. While Steeler Nation received bad news on the likes of Calvin Austin III and Jalen Ramsey, Tomlin was not ready to jump the gun on either of them, as he refused to say that they would be out for this contest. 

"Two guys that we're watching very closely that will certainly be limited at the front part of the week, but may perk up and be included toward the latter part of the week are Calvin Austin with his shoulder and Jalen Ramsey with his hamstring," Tomlin said. "Both have been highly aggressive from a rehabilitation standpoint during the bye week, and so I'm really encouraged by the potential of those guys, but we'll take it certainly day to day."

On Monday, Austin told reporters that he was not sure if he would have to go on the Injured Reserve list (IR) or not. Based on Tomlin's comments, it's safe to say that he will not be given that designation for his shoulder injury, and he will be given a chance to practice until he is completely ready to play. Hopefully, he heals up sooner rather than later, especially with the lack of depth at the receiver position. 

Meanwhile, the report on Ramsey was that he had the same injury that Porter suffered in Week 1: a minor hamstring tear. Any type of muscle injury can be very finicky, and that is especially the case with hamstring issues. He could play this week, but he could also miss the next three weeks. Early in the season, the Steelers may want to exercise caution with him in that regard.

If either of those two are going to come back, it's Austin. His recovery is a lot more predictable than Ramsey's, as his shoulder injury does not appear to be a muscle issue. The Steelers could really use his speed and route-running ability in the coming weeks to add that extra dimension to the offense. Meanwhile, Pittsburgh's cornerback depth should be better now after the bye week.

Steelers' Upcoming Schedule Is Not Favorable For Injured Players

If Austin and Ramsey are out, you can go ahead and assume that they will miss Week 7, because they will be going on the road for Thursday Night Football. Former NFL lineman Scott Quessenberry admitted on X that teams do not practice for Thursday night games, especially if they have to travel the day before. 

If Austin and Ramsey are unable to prove that they can play in Week 6, then they will likely be out for Week 7 too. They won't have a chance to prove themselves leading up to that game with the short week of practice. 

What do you think about the Steelers' injury report after the bye week? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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