Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Jalen Ramsey says the issue that has him in question for Thursday Night Football is a broken wrist, and he traced the injury back to the first series of the team’s Week 3 win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
Ramsey spoke after practice on September 29 and said he is still planning to try to play against the Cleveland Browns in Week 4, though his status will depend on whether he can protect the wrist and still perform at the level he expects from himself.
"Of course I'm gonna try to," Ramsey said. "I gotta be able to protect it obviously.
It's a real injury, a broken wrist. I can't really do anything about it, it's just gonna be about seeing if I'm able to protect it and also still be myself in a good enough capacity where I feel like if I go out there, I won't be letting any of my teammates down."
The injury first became visible when Ramsey was spotted wearing a sling around his right arm in the locker room on September 28. By the next day at practice, he was in a cast instead.
Head coach Mike McCarthy addressed the situation in his weekly press conference and said he believed Ramsey would, "do everything he possibly can to play," pointing to Ramsey’s history.
Ramsey’s willingness to push through it is at least backed up by the fact that he already played through the injury against Cincinnati. Even so, the short week creates a tougher ask now that both he and the team know exactly what they’re dealing with.
Pittsburgh’s secondary is already thin. Brandin Echols is in the concussion protocol, Joey Porter Jr.’s status against Cleveland is still unclear, and DeShon Elliott has been on the reserve/injured list all season.
The Steelers are hoping at least one of Ramsey or Echols can go so they have a proven slot corner available. If neither is ready, the team may need to get creative and turn to someone like Asante Samuel Jr. more often in that role.
Ramsey has also been used at safety this season, with 31 snaps at free safety and 56 in the box, according to Pro Football Focus. If he’s unavailable Thursday, that would create more chances for Rayshawn Jenkins and rookie Robert Spears-Jennings in a big AFC North primetime game.
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