Steelers Activate Ladarius Green

3:09pm: Green has been elevated to Pittsburgh’s active roster, Mark Kaboly of DKPittsburghSports.com tweets. The Steelers cut outside linebacker L.J. Fort to make room. A five-year veteran, Fort played in seven games for the Steelers this season, making two tackles.

9:53am: It’s looking like tight end Ladarius Green will soon be making his Steelers debut. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (via Twitter), the team is expected to activate the tight end from the PUP list. The reporter says that Green is expected to play in this weekend’s game against the Cowboys, but he notes that the decision will ultimately be up to coach Mike Tomlin.

The Steelers originally added Green this past offseason on a four-year, $20MM deal. The tight end was placed on the physically unable to perform list in late August as he recovered from his surgically-repaired ankle. The 26-year-old was also sidelined with lingering headaches, and this led to rumors that Green could consider retirement. Fortunately, the tight end seems to be doing better, as he’s been practicing with the Steelers since late October.

Green previously spent four seasons with the Chargers, where he served as a backup to Antonio Gates. Despite being second on the depth chart, the tight end still managed to haul in 77 receptions for 1,087 yards and seven touchdowns. 2015 was a career-year for Green, as the tight end caught 37 passes for 429 yards and four touchdowns.

With Green out, backup tight end Jesse James has stepped up. The second-year tight end has 24 receptions for 172 yards and three touchdowns this season. It’s unclear whether the Steelers will cut one of their other tight ends (Xavier Grimble, David Johnson) to make room for Green.

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