The Steelers have one obvious roster decision hanging over Sunday, and it all comes down to DeShon Elliott.
Elliott is questionable for the matchup with the New Orleans Saints, but Pittsburgh is sitting on a roster opening after releasing Rayshawn Jenkins. If Elliott’s knee comes through Saturday, the Steelers can bring him back.
If not, they’ll have to keep waiting. With Brandin Echols out, Sebastian Joseph-Day on injured reserve, and Thursday already delivering the T.J.
Watt calf scare, Pittsburgh could use the help wherever it can get it.
The good news is that Friday’s injury report looked a lot cleaner. Watt, Jalen Ramsey and Alex Highsmith were all listed as full participants and carry no game designation.
Cameron Heyward also showed up as a full participant after rest days. The wrinkle, of course, is that Pittsburgh’s planned walkthrough got wiped out by a wind and rain storm, so Friday’s practice tags are only estimates.
That includes Elliott, who logged a third straight full listing.
Rico Dowdle was also listed as questionable with a knee injury after being estimated as limited all week. Echols and Ben Skowronek were both estimated as nonparticipants and are out. That leaves the Steelers short a corner and a defensive lineman, even with the encouraging update on their edge rushers.
Elliott, if activated, would help solve only part of the problem. He can give Pittsburgh more stability at safety, but he can’t cover for the missing nickel depth.
Echols’ absence leaves Ramsey without his usual backup inside, and if Ramsey has to move outside for a stretch, someone else has to fill the slot. The Saints would have a clear target if that spot becomes vulnerable.
On defense, the Elliott decision is the one to watch. The idea is simple: get him back alongside Jaquan Brisker, keep Robert Spears-Jennings involved, and ease Elliott into his first game back from the knee injury instead of asking for a full workload right away.
Joseph-Day’s injury also means more snaps for Gabriel Rubio. The rookie can help Yahya Black and Keeanu Benton against the run, while Heyward and the other young linemen absorb the rest of that rotation. On the other side of the ball, Skowronek’s absence leaves DK Metcalf and Germie Bernard as the players carrying a thin receiver group.
Mike McCarthy said the Elliott call comes after Saturday’s practice. Pittsburgh already has the roster spot. Now it’s just a matter of whether Elliott is ready to fill it.
In Other News...
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The teams most worth watching are the Chargers, Dolphins, Buccaneers and Titans, all of whom could be forced to listen if their seasons keep going the wrong way. For the Steelers, that creates an unusual opportunity to look at available talent across multiple positions, from wide receiver to the secondary, and see whether a move is there to be made before the deadline closes. [Read more 🡒]
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For Steelers fans, the validation stings because it points back to a theme they know well from Pickens time here: the flashes were obvious, but so were the stretches that left everyone wanting more. Pittsburgh saw enough of those uneven days to understand why the discussion keeps circling back to effort, and Schottenheimers public comments only reopen the question of whether the same issues will keep following Pickens wherever he goes. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Backfield Suddenly Puts More On Jaylen Warren In Paris
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The bigger offensive wrinkle is in the backfield, where Rico Dowdle is listed as questionable because of a knee injury after already missing time with a toe issue. If he cannot go or is only part of the plan, the burden figures to land on Jaylen Warren, who would be asked to handle a much larger share of the work than usual in a game that could demand a lot from Pittsburghs run game. [Read more 🡒]