While the official word on the right knee injury suffered by Pittsburgh Steelers rookie right guard David DeCastro Saturday night against the Buffalo Bills is not yet known, it would be anything short of a miracle if he is not lost for season. The early rumors are that the Steelers first round draft pick tore both the ACL and the MCL in his knee after it got caught underneath him while pass blocking on the Steelers second possession.
With DeCastro now likely out for the year, the Steelers will once again turn to Ramon Foster to fill the void. Foster, who signed a one-year restricted free agent tender this offseason, has started 26 games since making the team as an undrafted free agent in 2009 out of Tennessee.
Although Foster did not win the starting right guard job out of training camp last year, he claimed the spot in week 4 after starter Doug Legursky suffered an injury against the Indianapolis Colts in week 3, and held it for the rest of the season.
While Foster is not as mobile as DeCastro is, he is capable. He was one of the Steelers best pass blockers last year and his play, although not dominant, was consistent and mostly above the line.
Due to the injury to DeCastro, the Steelers could now be forced to keep both Trai Essex and rookie Kelvin Beachum on the 53 man roster for depth purposes. A dark horse might be undrafted free agent guard Ryan Lee, who has played very well in his limited preseason action at left guard. The Steelers could also decide to watch the waiver wire during final cuts to see if a serviceable swing man becomes available.
Whatever ends up happening depth wise, Foster is the next man up at right guard for the foreseeable future and the Steelers can win with him at the position. They have before.
