Steelers news: Diontae Johnson added to injury report, health looking grim

Pittsburgh added several names to the injury report on Thursday. Here’s why the latest Steelers news isn’t exactly encouraging as we gear up for the weekend. 

If Pittsburgh Steelers needed anything more to complain about, they got it on Thursday evening. The outlook already looked shakey for the Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, as Mike Tomlin has yet to name a starting quarterback. Now we can add a few more injury concerns to the list.

If  Pittsburgh were in a position to make the playoffs, the latest news would come with a lot more added stress. They aren’t mathematically eliminated yet, but they will with a loss against the Panthers this Sunday. Here’s the latest Steelers news you need to know heading into the weekend.

Steelers news

The Steelers injury report on Wednesday already raised plenty of questions as four starters sat out with ailments and Kenny Pickett remained in concussion protocol. While we thought that a few players could return to full participation on Thursday, the opposite happened.

Not only did players like Pat Freiermuth (foot), Larry Ogunjobi (toe), and Myles Jack (groin) remain absent, but a few players were added to the list, per reporter Josh Rowntree:

Diontae Johnson popped up on Steelers injury report Thursday with a hip injury. This was an issue that forced him to miss one day of practice last week, but he was able to suit up and play through it against the Ravens. Now his availability is suddenly in question. Reserve cornerback joined him on the injury report with an ankle injury. Veteran Cameron Heyward was given the day off.

More Steelers news

While the Steelers injury report seems like it should be the biggest storyline this week, that title goes to the shakey quarterback situation. As of Friday morning, Mike Tomlin has yet to name a starter. However, it’s certainly worth noting that Mason Rudolph split the starting snaps with Mitch Trubisky in practice yesterday.

We don’t yet have confirmation of Tomlin’s plan at quarterback this week, but he was clear that Rudolph at least stood a shot. As Pickett remains in concussion protocol entering the final day of practice, it looks like it’s going to be either Trubisky or Rudolph at the helm this week. Maybe Tomlin was just making sure Rudolph was as prepared as possible in case something similar happens in Week 15.

NFL news

ESPN draft guru, Todd McShay, released his first 2023 NFL mock draft yesterday. Using the current standings, he had the Pittsburgh Steelers selecting 9th overall and selecting Ohio State offensive tackle, Paris Johnson. Alabama quarterback, Bryce Young, went to the Texans with the first overall pick, followed by premier defenders Jalen Carter and Will Anderson. Only one offensive lineman (OT Peter Skoronski) was off the board by Steelers pick in McShay’s mock draft.

If the Steelers plan to go offensive tackle a bit later in the NFL Draft, this draft class just got a bit deeper as mammoth Tennessee OT Darnell Wright officially announced yesterday that he has declared for the 2023 draft. Wright is currently Pro Football Network’s 5th-ranked offensive tackle and 57th overall player.