Answers to Steelers burning Questions in Thursday night brawl vs. the Browns
By Edward Hunt
Who will return kicks and punts?
It was a smooth night for the return men despite the injuries. Ryan Switzer was put on IR after being listed as out. It seemed like Switzer just needed a week or two to get his back healthy, but it looks like a worse situation.
The punt return job was given to Diontae Johnson, who has all the athletic ability to be an excellent punt returner. The question is if he can secure the ball. He was knocked out of the game, and it forced the Steelers to roll with Cameron Sutton as the punt returner.
The Steelers don’t like having to use defensive players as punt returners, but this seemed like a dire situation. Switzer and Johnson were injured, and so the Steelers had to go to Sutton. He might have to play that position against the Bengals as Diontae Johnson had a bad concussion.
Conclusion
This has been a tough year for the Steelers. They just got beat in a physical matchup with the division-rival Browns, and now they are stacking injuries. This team is really missing Ben Roethlisberger, but they are also missing a lot of players on the offensive side of the ball.
The Steelers are thin at wide receiver now. They had six at the beginning of the season, but only two of those six are currently healthy.
Juju Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson are and should be in concussion protocol. Ryan Switzer is on IR. Donte Moncrief was a total disappointment and was a good cut because it helps with the compensatory formula. That leaves special teamer Johnny Holton and James Washington to as the only healthy receivers from the original six.
The Steelers suffered other injuries during the game, as well. Adeniyi had a concussion to go along with the other two, and Artie Burns hurt his hamstring.
The Steelers will also be without Maurkice Pouncey for three games. That means BJ Finney will be your center, and that means they might need to call up a player like Patrick Morris to the roster while Pouncey is out.
Next. 3 Steelers players who need to be replaced immediately. dark
With all this bad news, the good news is the Steelers play the Bengals next week and will have the weekend to recover before a week of practice. The Bengals are winless, and that could propel some confidence going into a second showdown with the Browns in two weeks.