Pittsburgh Steelers injury report: Offensive line struggling to stay healthy
By Edward Hunt
The Pittsburgh Steelers will take on the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday and for their Wednesday practice, they had five players sitting out.
Ramon Foster did not practice again with a back injury. He was injured a week ago and has not practiced or played this week or last week. The Steelers are thin on the offensive line and so either BJ Finney or Chris Hubbard will replace Foster this Sunday if he is unable to go against the Bengals. Ramon Foster has been a solid left tackle for the Steelers and his veteran presence on the offensive line will be missed.
Marcus Gilbert has been dealing with a hamstring injury which he reinjured on Sunday. Chris Hubbard has been playing right tackle in his absence. With Pouncey and Foster injured, the Steelers may have to turn to journeyman Matt Feiler to play right tackle on Sunday. Marcus Gilbert is one of the better right tackles in the league. Although the left side is preferred in the NFL, Gilbert is probably the Steelers best tackle.
Maurkice Pouncey has been injured with a chest injury. He was not mentioned by Tomlin in either presser; so, it is likely that it may just be a day of rest for the veteran. Hopefully, he can go on Sunday and if not, then BJ Finney will be manning the center position. Maurkice Pouncey is a Pro Bowl caliber player and usually is named to that team when he is healthy.
Stephon Tutt is in a similar situation to Pouncey in that he may just be resting his back. Stephon Tuitt was out Wednesday and the hope is that is a relatively minor injury. Tyson Alualu likely stepped in for him today in practice. Tuitt is a very good defensive lineman who is integral to the Steelers getting interior pressure.
Vince Williams injured his hip on Sunday after making two sacks against the Chiefs. Williams was out for the Wednesday practice. Tyler Matakevich likely played in his place as the BUCK inside linebacker. Vince Williams is usually the starter at inside linebacker next to Ryan Shazier.
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The Steelers had five players that sat out today and the hope is that they can get those players back as soon as possible. They are all starters and that means that their participation is missed.