Steelers TE Ladarius Green To Practice Today
Could we finally see Ladarius Green take the field for the Steelers? The team announced today that Green will practice today. From here, the team will have 21 days to decide whether to activate him or keep him on the PUP list for the season. 
The Steelers signed Green to a four-year, $20MM deal this spring with the expectation that he would take over for the retired Heath Miller. However, Green was sidelined for much of the summer. Initially, it was believed that Green was being held back by his ankle which was surgically repaired in January. Later, it was reported that Green was kept off the field because of painful chronic headaches and was even considering retirement. For what it’s worth, Green insists that his ankle has been the issue and denies that he thought about walking away from football.
After spending years in the shadow of Antonio Gates, the athletic Green is looking to break out with his new team. Last year, Green caught 37 passes for 429 yards and four touchdowns in 13 games. The belief is that he can be a difference maker if he’s given the type of snap count that Gates enjoyed in San Diego. Of course, he’ll have to prove that he is healthy first.
Ben Roethlisberger To Miss Just One Game?
SUNDAY, 9:27am: Contrary to Mortensen’s report, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports that while Roethlisberger has been ruled out for today’s game against the Patriots, he could be back to face Baltimore in Week 9 following Pittsburgh’s Week 8 bye. Indeed, team officials are optimistic he could face the Ravens and would be surprised if Roethlisberger missed more than two games, barring an unforeseen setback. The Steelers do not plan to work out additional quarterbacks or acquire a veteran, which suggests that they do expect Big Ben to return sooner rather than later.
WEDNESDAY, 10:38am: Ben Roethlisberger will be out for a little while longer than anticipated. The Steelers quarterback’s post-surgery outlook has shifted from 2-3 weeks to 4-6 weeks, according to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen (Twitter link). 
Roethlisberger underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee earlier this week. While Roethlisberger is out, the Steelers will turn to backup Landry Jones as their starter. Jones did alright in two games last season when he had to fill in for Big Ben, but the offense obviously won’t be the same without No. 7.
Roethlisberger, a future Hall of Famer, has thrown for 1,685 yards and a league-leading 16 touchdowns this season. The 34-year-old turned in 16-game seasons in 2013 and 14 but missed at least one in each of Pittsburgh’s previous four campaigns. Last year, knee and shoulder troubles cost him one-quarter of the regular season.
The Steelers take on the Patriots next week before entering a bye week. Then, they’ll face the Ravens, Cowboys, and Browns – likely without their star quarterback in the lineup.
Steelers Sign One OL, Cut Another
- The Steelers announced that they have signed offensive tackle Brian Mihalik to the team’s active roster off the Lions‘ practice squad. To make room, offensive lineman Matt Feiler was cut loose. Mihalik spent the 2016 offseason and part of training camp with Pittsburgh.
Latest On Ben Roethlisberger
The Steelers released a statement moments ago confirming that Ben Roethlisberger underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. The team does not yet have a timetable for his return, but they are “confident this injury is not long-term.” 
Big Ben gave fans a big scare on Sunday when he went down with a knee injury early on against the Dolphins. Even though he returned to action in that game, he’ll need some time to recover before he can play again. While Roethlisberger is out, the Steelers will turn to Landry Jones as their starter. The Steelers went 1-1 in Jones’ two starts last season and they’re hoping that they’ll be able to get by for however long No. 7 is out.
Roethlisberger has thrown for 1,685 yards and a league-leading 16 touchdowns this season.
Ben Roethlisberger Has Torn Meniscus
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
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
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
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. 
[RELATED: Steelers Release David Cobb From Practice Squad]
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
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. 
[RELATED: Steelers’ Heyward, Shazier Nursing Injuries]
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
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.