Pittsburgh Steelers Rumors & News - Pro Football Rumors

Ben Roethlisberger Has Torn Meniscus

October 16th, 2016 at 9:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

Ben Roethlisberger suffered a torn left meniscus in the Steelers’ Week 6 loss to the Dolphins and will undergo surgery Monday, Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports (on Twitter).

Cook reports (Twitter link) Landry Jones will start next week, as Roethlisberger now must deal with a significant knee injury for the second straight season. He returned to action in Miami after missing most of the second quarter. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com confirmed Cook’s report and tweets the veteran quarterback will miss the Steelers’ Week 7 tilt against the Patriots, but the passer’s timetable is uncertain beyond that.

Roethlisberger missed four games last season due to an MCL sprain. The 34-year-old future Hall of Famer played two straight 16-game seasons in 2013-14 but missed at least one in each of Pittsburgh’s previous four campaigns. He battled knee and shoulder injuries last season, limiting the Steelers.

Pittsburgh finished 1-1 in Jones’ two starts last season. The former Oklahoma signal-caller completed 58 percent of his passes, threw for 513 yards, three touchdowns and four interceptions. He’s the next in line now after the Steelers opted not to bring back Michael Vick. They also released Bruce Gradkowski, who suffered a torn hamstring during preseason play, earlier this month.

Now in his 13th season, Roethlisberger had guided the Steelers to four wins and thrown for 1,685 yards this season. His 16 touchdown passes lead the league.

Ladarius Green To Return Soon

October 16th, 2016 at 10:49am CST by Rory Parks

The Steelers rarely make a splash in free agency, but they signed tight end Ladarius Green to a four-year, $20MM deal this offseason to replace the retired Heath Miller and to give Pittsburgh yet another dynamic offensive weapon. But Green landed on the PUP list in August, making him ineligible to practice with the team or join the active roster until after Week 6. Plus, there were reports this summer indicating that Green is suffering from the after-effects of multiple concussions, and that he has even contemplated retirement (though Green has refuted all such reports).

However, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports that the Steelers expect Green to return soon. Apparently, it is Green’s preexisting ankle issue that has been the real source of his absence; as La Canfora notes, although Green has suffered from headaches since his time in San Diego, he is not in the league’s concussion protocol and is ready to pass a physical for the ankle injury and begin practicing.

La Canfora adds that Green has been working out on his own and, once activated, Green does not believe he would need more than a week or two to get game-ready (in fact, Mark Kaboly of DKPittsburghSports.com tweets that Green was working out on the field today prior to the Steelers’ matchup with Miami). When Green returns to the field, he would further boost a passing attack that is already among the league’s best.

Although Green was largely overshadowed by Antonio Gates during his tenure with the Chargers, he did flash high-level ability while on the West Coast, particularly when Gates was sidelined by injury. He set career highs in 2015 with 11 starts, 37 receptions, 429 receiving yards, and four touchdowns. All of those numbers could increase considerably over the course of a fully-healthy season in Pittsburgh.

Steelers Promote Cobi Hamilton

October 16th, 2016 at 8:22am CST by Rory Parks

The Steelers have promoted WR Cobi Hamilton from their practice squad, according to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (via Twitter). To make room for Hamilton, Pittsburgh has cut CB Al-Hajj Shabazz.

Prior to promoting Hamilton, the Steelers had only three healthy receivers: Antonio Brown, Darrius Heyward-Bey, and Eli Rogers (who himself missed the last two games with turf toe). Markus Wheaton has already been ruled out of today’s game against Miami with a shoulder injury, and as Bouchette tweets, Sammie Coates is dealing with a broken left index finger in addition to a laceration above his left palm. Sources have told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Coates will be a game-time decision today, and even if he is active, one has to wonder how effective he will be.

Hamilton, whom the Bengals selected in the sixth round of the 2013 draft, has only appeared in one game in his NFL career (in 2014 with Cincinnati). He has also been with the Panthers, Dolphins, and Eagles. Pittsburgh signed him in August of this year, and he was part of the club’s final roster cuts before joining the practice squad on September 4.

Shabazz, a rookie from D-II West Chester, also joined the Steelers’ practice squad on September 4. He had his shot on the active roster last week, when he played six snaps on defense and 12 on special teams. Per Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the Steelers will try to re-sign Shabazz to the practice squad next week if he clears waivers.

Steelers Sign Karlos Williams To P-Squad

October 12th, 2016 at 8:56am CST by Zachary Links

The Steelers announced that they have signed Karlos Williams to their practice squad. Williams’ four-game suspension recently wrapped up, meaning that he is free to play.

Williams is known to be an exceptionally talented back, but his work ethic and conditioning has been called into question in the past. This summer, Williams ballooned up to 261 pounds, up from his 2015 playing weight of 229. On top of that, the Bills had to deal with some off-the-field missteps from the youngster and this offseason they decided that it would be best to cut ties with him. It wasn’t long ago that Williams looked like he could be the heir apparent to LeSean McCoy.

Williams auditioned for the Steelers in late August and although he did not leave with a deal on that day, he did eventually score a contract with Pittsburgh. The tailback now takes the place of David Cobb after he was dropped from the p-squad on Tuesday. The shuffling means that the Steelers still have two running backs on the practice squad with Williams and Daryl Richardson. The running back now joins his older brother Vince Williams who has been having a strong season at inside linebacker for Pittsburgh.

In his rookie year, Williams averaged 5.6 yards per carry, picked up 613 scrimmage yards, and scored nine times on just 104 touches.

Steelers Release David Cobb

October 11th, 2016 at 3:58pm CST by Zachary Links

The Steelers announced that they have cut running back David Cobb from their practice squad. Meanwhile, the team has added safety Jacob Hagen and offensive tackle Austin Shepherd to the group.

Cobb, 23, was a fifth-round pick in the 2015 draft. The ex-Minnesota Golden Gopher picked up 146 yards on 52 carries, good for a paltry 2.7 YPC, in seven games as a rookie. This offseason, he was cut by Titans GM Jon Robinson along with other notable players from ex-GM Ruston Webster‘s time in charge. In early September, the Steelers added him to their taxi squad.

The Steelers still have running back Daryl Richardson on the p-squad with running backs Le’Veon Bell, DeAngelo Williams, and Fitzgerald Toussaint on the 53-man roster. For a full rundown of Pittsburgh’s roster, check out their page on Roster Resource.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Steelers Audition Rugby Star

October 10th, 2016 at 8:19pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Well, this is a new one: The Steelers worked out Spanish rugby sevens player Inaki Villanueva, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link), who adds that Villanueva will attempt to make the NFL as a tight end. Villanueva, 25 this week, was part of the Spanish rugby team that competed at the 2016 Summer Olmypics.

Steelers’ Heyward, Shazier Nursing Injuries

October 10th, 2016 at 7:09pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward is expected to miss two-to-three weeks as he recovers from a hamstring issue that forced him from yesterday’s game against the Jets, reports Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com (Twitter link). However, Heyward is aiming to return ahead of that timeline, and would like to play before Pittsburgh’s Week 8 bye, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Meanwhile, linebacker Ryan Shazier is dealing with a sprained MCL and is also hoping to return to the field before Week 8, tweets Fowler.

Heyward, 27, had already incurred injuries earlier this year, as an ankle ailment limited him in early September. Still, through five games, Heyward had been one of the Steelers’ best defenders, posting three sacks and four passes defensed while grading as the league’s No. 19 interior defensive lineman, per Pro Football Focus. Heyward is signed through 2020 thanks to a 2015 extension that will pay him roughly $10.5MM annually.

Shazier, meanwhile, hasn’t ranked well according to PFF’s grades, but it’s fair to assume that his lingering knee issues have affected him. Through three games, the 24-year-old Shazier posted 12 tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recover, and an interception. He’s signed through next season, but the Steelers will have the option of exercising a fifth-year option to lock up Shazier through 2018.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Steelers Place Golson, Harris On IR

October 8th, 2016 at 3:33pm CST by Sam Robinson

Senquez Golson‘s Steelers debut might have to wait until 2017, depending on what happens with the team’s injury situation this season.

Pittsburgh placed the second-year cornerback on IR, where he will join backup tackle Ryan Harris, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). A preseason foot injury sidelined Golson, but the Steelers previously kept him on their active roster. The 2015 second-round pick spent the entirety of last season on IR.

This move isn’t entirely unexpected since Golson underwent foot surgery in early August, with the procedure’s rehab timeline hovering around four months. He missed all of last season due to an August shoulder operation. The Steelers can bring Golson back later in the year, but Golson has to miss at least eight weeks’ worth of games and six weeks’ worth of practices, per the tweaked IR rules.

Harris was injured against the Chiefs while starting for the ailing Marcus Gilbert at right tackle. He’d been the swing man behind Gilbert and Alejandro Villanueva this season after signing for two years and $3.9MM this offseason. The 31-year-old Harris began 2015 as the Broncos’ starting right tackle before injuries elsewhere relocated him to the left side, where he started the final 15 games for the Super Bowl champions.

Harris’ injury leaves Chris Hubbard as the Steelers’ starting right tackle Sunday against the Jets. Maurkice Pouncey took reps at right tackle this week despite having never played there in a game.

The Steelers replaced Harris and Golson on their roster with offensive lineman Matt Feiler and cornerback Al-Haj Shabazz, via practice squad promotions.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Steelers Release Bruce Gradkowski

October 7th, 2016 at 4:13pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Steelers have released quarterback Bruce Gradkowski from injured reserve, according to ESPN’s Adam Caplan (Twitter link).

Injuries have been problematic lately for Gradkowski, who landed on IR last month after he suffered a hamstring tear. He previously spent all of last season on IR with shoulder and hand injuries. Nevertheless, Pittsburgh re-signed the journeyman in May, although it only gave him $80K in guarantees on a deal that could have been worth $965K.

Gradkowski joined the Steelers in 2013 and ultimately never attempted a regular-season pass with the club. For his career, the former Toledo Rocket has completed 375-of-709 passes for 4,057 yards, 21 touchdowns and 24 interceptions.

Gradkowski’s exit won’t have an effect on the Steelers’ depth chart, where they’re deep at quarterback. Pittsburgh has experienced backups Landry Jones and Zach Mettenberger behind Ben Roethlisberger.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Maurkice Pouncey Receives Right Tackle Reps

October 5th, 2016 at 8:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Steelers gave Maurkice Pouncey reps at right tackle in practice, per Chris Bradford and Christopher Mueller of the Beaver County (Pa.) Times. Marcus Gilbert and swing man Ryan Harris are considered questionable for Sunday, leaving Chris Hubbard as the next in line and Pouncey as the in-case-of-emergency option. Pouncey has played guard in a game before but never tackle, although he nearly lined up there in a 2012 tilt against the Cowboys.

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