The Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week 3 injury report is crowded, but the name that matters most might be the one that didn’t play last week: Michael Pittman Jr.
Pittsburgh listed six players on its final injury report ahead of its matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals. RB Rico Dowdle (toe) is out, RB Jaylen Warren (shoulder) is questionable, WR Michael Pittman Jr. (foot) is questionable, OG Gennings Dunker (knee) is out, CB Joey Porter Jr. (conditioning) is questionable, and CB Jamel Dean (ankle) is questionable.
Warren and Dean both sounded likely to suit up when speaking during the week, and there’s optimism around both of them heading into game time. The Steelers will still make the final decision before kickoff, but the expectation is that they should be available against Cincinnati.
Porter Jr. remains a different kind of uncertainty. He has been working through a back injury and, with the contract situation behind him, has said he’s trying to build himself back up enough to play. He still hasn’t fully practiced since last season, and Week 3 feels like a coin flip for his availability.
Even so, Pittsburgh has already spent the first two weeks without him and appears prepared to do it again. The Steelers are lined up to roll with Asante Samuel Jr. and Dean on the outside if needed.
The bigger issue sits on offense, where DK Metcalf has opened the season in rough shape. Through two games, Pittsburgh’s WR1 has put balls on the ground and left fans wondering whether he’ll settle in and become the elite receiver the team paid for.
Roman Wilson has kept moving forward, but he still doesn’t look like a trusted starter who can fill Metcalf’s role. Rookie Germie Bernard gave the Steelers something to work with against the New England Patriots, catching four passes for 35 yards, but that’s still not enough for Aaron Rodgers to treat him as a weekly answer.
That’s why Pittman looms so large. If the 28-year-old is able to go against the Bengals, he gives Pittsburgh exactly what it’s been missing: a steady target who can be counted on in the passing game and who owns some of the strongest hands in the National Football League.
The Steelers need reliability more than anything right now. They need Rodgers to have a receiver he can trust to keep making plays, even if that player isn’t the centerpiece of the offense.
Pittman fits that bill as a workhorse and one of the league’s most dependable players. For a team starting its AFC North stretch, that kind of presence would matter.
Without him, the same problems that showed up in Week 2 are still hanging over this offense.
In Other News...
Steelers Suddenly Have A QB Trade Chip Worth Watching
The Steelers suddenly have a quarterback situation worth monitoring as Will Howard emerges as a name that could appeal to the Giants. New Yorks need for depth has grown after the injury to Jaxson Dart, and Howards profile is easy to understand from afar. He won at the college level and arrived in the NFL with some intrigue, even if the transition has brought its share of early challenges.
For Pittsburgh, the idea of moving Howard is less about giving up on a player than about weighing roster value and timing. For the Giants, it would be a chance to add another arm to a room that could use it. Nothing official is in place, but the possibility alone gives the Steelers another subplot to track as they continue sorting out their quarterback room. [Read more 🡒]
Jordan Rodgers Just Reignited The Steelers Aaron Rodgers Debate
Jordan Rodgers stepped onto ESPNs First Take and did what brothers often do when the spotlight turns harsh: he went to bat for Aaron Rodgers. With the Steelers coming off a Week 2 loss to the New England Patriots, Jordan pointed to the throws Aaron did make and argued that the quarterbacks night was shaped as much by drops and missed calls as anything else. It was a familiar kind of defense, but one that landed with extra weight because Aaron is now in his second season in Pittsburgh.
The timing only sharpened the conversation around the Steelers offense, especially with the Rodgers family relationship back in the public eye after years of estrangement. Jordan and Aaron have recently reconciled, and now the debate around Aarons play is being filtered through that renewed bond. For Pittsburgh, it adds another layer to an already watched quarterback situation, with outside voices quick to either excuse the loss or use it as another reminder that the offense still has questions to answer. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Backfield Plan Just Got More Interesting For Bengals Game
A week after shuffling bodies in the backfield, the Steelers added another layer to their running back situation ahead of their Week 3 matchup with the Bengals. Pittsburgh elevated Lew Nichols from the practice squad on Saturday because of Rico Dowdles toe injury, a move that comes after Travis Homer was already elevated and then signed to the 53-man roster when Gennings Dunker landed on injured reserve.
Doneiko Slaughter was also brought up again, marking his third elevation and using up his practice squad call-up limit. For a team trying to keep its roster flexible this early in the season, the additions suggest Pittsburgh is still sorting out who will be available and how it wants to manage depth heading into a division game that could demand more from the backfield than originally expected. [Read more 🡒]