Can Steelers fans expect to have Stephon Tuitt back after the bye week?

Stephon Tuitt has apparently been working out. Mike Tomlin sheds light on the progress of the Steelers starting defensive lineman. 

Pittsburgh’s defense has had a few good games this season, but it hasn’t lived up to the hype so far in 2021. There are plenty of reasons as to why. Devin Bush and Joe Schobert have been underwhelming at the linebacker position and we know the Steelers have their share of issues in the secondary. However, not having Stephon Tuitt might be the biggest factor of all.

Last season, Tuitt was finally healthy for a full season for the first time since his rookie year back in 2014. In 2020, the big defensive lineman earned 11.0 sacks, 10 tackles for a loss, and 25 quarterback hits in 15 games, according to Pro Football Reference. (He missed one game on the COVID list).

Sadly, Tuitt has been dealing with the tragic loss of his younger brother in a hit-and-run incident that happened over the summer. In addition, it’s evident that he’s also hampered by some sort of lingering knee issues — the severity of which is widely unknown.

Recently, Tuitt’s name came up doing a press conference with Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. Unfortunately, not a lot of clarity on his status was provided. Here’s some of what Tomlin had to say:

"“He’s still on IR and working hard and making progress. How close he is to returning to play, I do not have an answer to that as I stand here right now.”"

Steelers fans left in the dark with Tuitt

Entering Week 7 of the NFL season, this clearly isn’t the response Steelers fans were hoping for. Tuitt was technically eligible to return to the team following Pittsburgh’s third game this year, but he is clearly coming along much more slowly than we anticipated.

It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what the issue is, as the knee injury really hasn’t been disclosed by the team. In addition to dealing with tragedy and a knee issue, there were also concerns about Tuitt being overweight and not in football shape during training camp. It’s been a long time then, and Tuitt has apparently been working hard, so that might no longer be an issue.

With two full weeks until Pittsburgh’s next game, fans are hoping that Stephon Tuitt makes significant progress during this time. Though it doesn’t look like he will be ready immediately following the bye, the team is hopeful that they can get him back on the field in the near future.

Tuitt was a top-four player on the team for my money last season, and paring him back with Cameron Heyward on the interior defensive line will give them a massive boost — especially with Tyson Alualu out for the season. Let’s hope he’s inching closer to his return.