Pittsburgh Steelers Place DE Brett Keisel on IR
By Kim Myers
The fears from the end of Sunday’s loss to the New Orleans Saints have been confirmed. Monday afternoon the Pittsburgh Steelers announced that they have placed DE Brett Keisel on IR with a torn triceps. The injury is categorized as a significant one, requiring surgery and an extended rehabilitation.
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The Steelers brought back Keisel on August 20th after OTAs, minicamp and training camp had concluded with a two-year contract after he was courted by the Arizona Cardinals. He was brought in to be a backup on the defensive line, to give the younger linemen such as Stephon Tuitt and Daniel McCullers the chance to play and learn alongside the longtime Steeler. Keisel outplayed almost everyone on the line from Week 1 and resumed his role as a starter instead of backing up the younger guys.
Through eleven games, Keisel was second among the linemen with 19 tackles, 12 quarterback pressures and was third on the team with six passes defended. Keisel didn’t play like a 36-year old who was trying to revive his career; he played like he has his whole career, a force to be reckoned with on the defensive line.
It is too soon to tell if Keisel will call it a career at this point, considering he’s yet to have the surgery and/or determine how long the recovery will be. Now is the time for the youngsters like Tuitt and McCullers to step up and be the presence they saw Keisel be on the field and in the locker room.
The Steelers signed veteran Clifton Geathers to take his spot on the 53-man roster.