DeShon Elliott practiced fully on Wednesday, but the Pittsburgh Steelers still need to activate him from injured reserve before he can face the New Orleans Saints in Paris. His progress comes just as two new defensive injuries complicate Sunday’s lineup: Brandin Echols missed practice with a hamstring issue, and Sebastian Joseph-Day sat with a triceps issue. Last week’s injury report showed Elliott working in a limited capacity.
The official October 21 report also lists Jalen Ramsey (wrist) and Ben Skowronek (calf) as nonparticipants. Rico Dowdle (knee) and Alex Highsmith (groin) were limited. T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward missed practice for rest.
Player | Position | Injury | Wed. | Thur. | Fri. | Game Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jalen Ramsey | CB | Wrist | DNP | |||
Rico Dowdle | RB | Knee | LP | |||
Alex | LB | Groin | LP | |||
Cameron Heyward | DT | NIR/Rest | DNP | |||
DeShon Elliott* | S | Knee | FP | |||
Brandin Echols | CB | Hamstring | DNP | |||
Ben Skowronek | WR | Calf | DNP | |||
T.J. Watt | LB | NIR/Rest | DNP | |||
Sebastian | DL | Tricep | DNP |
*Injured reserve - designated for return
Joseph-Day’s absence could sting more than the name recognition suggests. With Derrick Harmon already on injured reserve, Pittsburgh has leaned on Joseph-Day to help rotate its interior linemen. If he can’t play, Keeanu Benton, Heyward, and perhaps Yahya Black or Gabriel Rubio would have to absorb that work.
That’s a tough place to lose a body if the Saints run between the tackles. The earlier look at Harmon’s injury and Pittsburgh’s interior depth shows why the rotation was stretched before Wednesday.
Pittsburgh Steelers could get DeShon Elliott back, but the corner decisions remain
Elliott’s full practice gives the defense a plausible route back to its usual safety pairing. Pittsburgh released Rayshawn Jenkins on Wednesday, but with Elliott still not activated, Patrick Graham can’t put him in Sunday’s lineup. Even if that move comes, Elliott’s first game after a knee injury may call for a minimal workload. They need him for the long haul, so caution is the way to go.
Ramsey’s wrist and Echols’ hamstring create a separate corner concern. Ramsey, named AFC Defensive Player of the Week, has played through the wrist injury before, and Wednesday’s missed practice doesn’t mean he’ll sit Sunday. If he can’t play, though, Jamel Dean and Asante Samuel Jr. would have to handle more of the outside work, with less depth behind them if Echols is also unavailable.
Elliott could restore a safety option, but he can’t replace the corner snaps by himself. Graham would still have to decide who covers the slot and who backs up the outside corners.
Skowronek’s continued absence leaves the receiver room thin around DK Metcalf. Rico Dowdle was limited with a knee injury, a new concern after the toe injury that had kept him out. It’s another reason to watch how much work he can handle behind Jaylen Warren. The Steelers-Saints Week 7 tracker lays out the broader matchup.
Add us as a preferred source on Google