James Harrison Regrets Steelers Signing
James Harrison sounds like he’s regretting his offseason decision to re-sign with the Steelers. The 39-year-old edge defender told NBC’s Michele Tafoya he would have signed elsewhere had he known he was going to receive this level of playing time (Twitter link). Harrison’s been active for just four Steelers games and has played just 29 snaps. While the Steelers viewed him as a bullpen-type weapon this offseason, those plans either haven’t come to fruition or are part of a long-game solution by the Super Bowl-contending team. He delivered standout football as a full-timer last season, and Pro Football Focus has not viewed Bud Dupree‘s work highly this season. But it hasn’t been enough to get Harrison on the field. Harrison signed a two-year deal to stay in Pittsburgh in March; the Steelers can save $1.3MM by cutting him after the season. While Harrison could look elsewhere if he wants to continue his career, he’ll turn 40 in May and did not fare well the only other time he left Pittsburgh, having retired from the 2013 Bengals.
Latest On Ryan Shazier’s Condition
Ryan Shazier was stable enough to return to Pittsburgh after spending multiple nights in Cincinnati, but the frightening injury the linebacker suffered required spinal surgery.
Shazier underwent spinal stabilization surgery on Wednesday night in Pittsburgh, the Steelers announced (on Twitter). Recovery timetables are difficult to pin down at this point.
The 25-year-old player will face a months-long recovery process, sources informed Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), adding he’s going to miss the rest of this season. In speaking to a spinal doctor, Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes the best-case scenario for a Shazier recovery ranges from six weeks to three months.
“This is a surgery on your spine,” said Brock Bowman, medical director at the Spinal Cord Injury Center at Shepherd Center in Atlanta (via Bouchette). “And if something is altered, even if there was no injury to the spinal cord, that may be enough to take you out of the 1 percent of the 1 percent of the 1 percent who play professional football.”
Bouchette notes it’s difficult to make a projection at this juncture because there aren’t enough details known.
“I’m not worried about him playing for us again; I’m more worried about him,” Steelers DC Keith Butler said Thursday, via Bouchette. “The thing that we’re hopeful for and prayerful for is that he comes back and he’ll be OK. The football stuff is secondary. His life is a lot more important to me than football.”
As for Pittsburgh’s linebacker outlook, the team is moving veteran outside linebacker Arthur Moats inside in this emergency circumstance, the AP reports. The Bills shuttled Moats from outside to inside linebacker during his time in Buffalo, but since relocating to Pittsburgh, Moats has played exclusively on the edge. The 29-year-old Moats has worked as a backup this season but started 24 Steelers games from 2014-16. Pittsburgh also re-signed inside linebacker Sean Spence earlier this week.
Steelers Sign LB Sean Spence
Linebacker Sean Spence is back in Pittsburgh, as the Steelers have agreed to a deal with the veteran defender, according to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link).
The Steelers are in need of linebacker help after witnessing Ryan Shazier go down with a terrifying neck/back injury against the Bengals on Monday night. Details on Shazier’s status are slim, but the Steelers have released a pair of statements today, indicating that while Shazier has improved, he will stay in a Cincinnati hospital for the next 24-48 hours. Shazier has remained “upbeat and positive” and has communicated with teammates, tweets Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com in a bit of good news.
Shazier’s health and well-being are obviously the most pressing issue at present, but the Steelers also have to account for his loss on their No. 5 DVOA-ranked defense. Spence should be familiar with the Pittsburgh scheme, as he spent four seasons with the club earlier in his career. He’s bounced around the AFC South for the past season-plus, playing for both the Titans and Colts (mostly as a reserve).
NFL Suspends Steelers’ Smith-Schuster, Bengals’ Iloka
Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and Bengals safety George Iloka have each been suspended one game for violations of safety-related playing rules on Monday night. The league announced the suspensions in a press release on Tuesday, and has already denied an appeal by Smith-Schuster. 
In his letter to Smith-Schuster notifying him of the suspension, NFL Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan slammed his unsportsmanlike conduct in his illegal hit on Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict. Runyan also noted of Smith-Schuster’s taunting:
“You are suspended for the dangerous and unsportsmanlike acts you committed during the fourth quarter of last night’s game. Specifically, with 7:10 remaining, on a passing play to a running back, you lined up a defender and delivered a violent and unnecessary blindside shot to his head and neck area. You then “celebrated” the play by standing over him and taunting him. The contact you made with your opponent placed the opposing player at risk of serious injury and could have been avoided. Your conduct following the hit fell far below the high standards of sportsmanship expected of an NFL player.”
Smith-Schuster is appealing his one-game suspension, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Per the collective bargaining agreement, his appeal will be heard by either Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Brooks or former NFL receiver James Thrash.
Meanwhile, Iloka will serve a one-game ban for his helmet to helmet hit on Antonio Brown with 3:55 left in the game. He’ll miss Sunday’s game against the Bears while Smith-Schuster will be forced out of Sunday’s primetime matchup against the Ravens.
Notes on Big Ben, JuJu
- The Steelers are in a much different spot than the Giants at this point in time, but veteran QB Ben Roethlisberger opened up to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette to discuss how he empathizes with the situation Eli Manning is going through right now. “It sparks the reality that that could be me,” Roethlisberger said. “They could do that to me next year or whenever, who knows? It’s eye-opening that you have to take every play, every game, don’t take it for granted, take it for what it is because you never know when you’re done.” However, while Big Ben and Eli were taken in the same draft and both have multiple Super Bowls to their credit, the Steelers signal caller doesn’t believe that the only team he’s ever known would treat him in the same way. “I don’t, and I don’t mean to talk negatively about the Giants, especially I know the Steelers and Giants are very close and are family, too. But I don’t think they would, I think they would handle it differently.” These are interesting comments considering Roethlisberger expressed some reservations about continuing to play this past offseason, and even though he’s recovered nicely from a unusually slow start, the fact that he’s thinking about these career questions shouldn’t be overlooked.
Haden To Miss The Next Few Weeks
- The Steelers managed to hold off the scuffling Packers on Sunday night football yesterday, but were still clearly exposed in the secondary by some talented playmakers and a backup quarterback. Part of the reason for the offensive display could be due to the absence of veteran cornerback Joe Haden. While the team does expect the former Brown to return, it’s unlikely that the defensive back will see the field for a few more weeks, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (Twitter link). La Canfora did add that the Week 13 status for rookie wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster remains a little more up in the air at this point.
- The Bengals have avoided a suspension to one of their key defenders in linebacker Vontaze Burfict, according to Jim Owczarski of Cincinnati.com. The energetic defender was flagged for unnecessary roughness for hitting a defenseless receiver in yesterday’s win over the Browns. Burfict has made a number of boneheaded plays throughout his career, which include him getting ejected for making contact with an official and for his unsportsmanlike penalty against the Steelers earlier in the season. He’ll avoid game punishment here, but a fine is certainly possible.
Steelers Promote RB Fitz Toussaint
Fitz Toussaint is back in the NFL. Mark Kaboly of TheAthletic.com reports (via Twitter) that the Steelers have promoted the 27-year-old to their active roster. To make room, they’ve released running back Terrell Watson.
Toussaint initially joined the Ravens as an undrafted rookie out of Michigan in 2014. He signed with Pittsburgh’s practice squad in 2015, and he was later promoted to the active roster. He took on a bigger role throughout the season, and he ultimately started his team’s wild card playoff game against the Bengals, hauling in four catches for 60 yards. Toussaint hung around as the Steelers’ third-string running back in 2016, rushing for 58 yards on 14 carries in 16 games. He also returned 13 kicks for 278 yards.
Toussaint ended up losing his spot to Watson during the preseason, and he was subsequently waived by the organization. However, he quickly caught on with the team’s practice squad, where he’s been all season. The running back will presumably slot in behind Le’Veon Bell and James Conner on the depth chart.
Meanwhile, Watson hadn’t done much in limited work this season. The 2015 undrafted rookie out of Azusa Pacific saw time in 10 games for the Steelers, compiling eight rushing yards on five carries. The 24-year-old has already bounced around the league during the early part of his career, spending time with the Bengals, Browns, Broncos, and Eagles.
Smith-Schuster To Miss Week 12
- Steelers rookie wideout JuJu Smith-Schuster has been ruled out of the team’s Sunday night matchup with Green Bay, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. (Twitter link). The first-year receiver from USC has been impressive in recent weeks, averaging 17.2 yards per reception and logging five touchdowns on the season. He will miss the game due to a hamstring injury.
Steelers Activate CB Cameron Sutton
The Steelers activated cornerback Cameron Sutton from injured reserve, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). The 2017 third-round pick may finally make his NFL debut here in November. 
Sutton’s arrival comes at a good time as Joe Haden will likely be sidelined through at least Week 13. For now, Pittsburgh’s CB’s group is comprised of Artie Burns, Mike Hilton, William Gay, Coty Sensabaugh, Sutton, and fellow rookie Brian Allen.
At Tennessee, Sutton was a starter throughout his four-year collegiate career, setting a school-record in passes defended along the way. Unfortunately, he lost about half of his senior season to a broken ankle. Had he left school after his junior year, he probably would have gone higher in the draft. His potential loss is the Steelers’ gain, however, and they’ll finally find out what they have in their third-round selection.
After trouncing the Titans on Thursday night, the Steelers are tied with the Patriots at 8-2 for the AFC lead. Next up for Pittsburgh is a Sunday night tilt against the Packers.
NFL Suspends Steelers’ Marcus Gilbert
Steelers offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert has been suspended four games for violating the league’s performance-enhancing substance policy. In a statement, Steelers GM Kevin Colbert announced that Gilbert will not appeal the ban. 
This hasn’t been a banner year for Gilbert. Thanks to injuries, he has missed five of the team’s ten games to date. His PED suspension means that he will not be eligible to play again until Christmas against the Texans in Week 16.
Gilbert, 29, is signed through the 2019 season thanks to the five-year, $30MM extension he inked before the 2014 season. The Steelers discussed another extension with him prior to this season, but they ultimately did not agree to terms and the team may have second thoughts about a fresh deal given the way things have gone in recent months.
Last year, Pro Football Focus graded Gilbert as the NFL’s No. 11 tackle among 76 total qualifiers, painting him as one of the league’s very best right tackles. Heading into 2017, the former second-round pick started 75 games over six seasons in Pittsburgh.