Tim Benz of 105 The X Radio reports Thursday via Twitter that Pittsburgh Steelers second year running back Baron Batch said today that an MRI done on his groin that he injured during the preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers didn\’t reveal anything alarming. Batch would only say that the injury was minor and he didn\’t answer any questions about whether or not he would dress Sunday night against the Denver Broncos, according to Benz.
While Batch isn\’t likely to see much, if any, time against the Bronco in the Steelers backfield if he dresses, he has been a key player on special teams throughout the preseason on both the punt and kickoff units. The Steelers also lost a key cog of that unit in the game against the Panthers as rookie linebacker Sean Spence was lost for the season after suffering a serious knee injury.
Batch, who is now fully recovered from the torn ACL that he suffered in training camp last year as a rookie, was listed on the Wednesday injury report as being limited and his status is worth watching moving forward through the week.
Should Batch ultimately be down for the opener, the Steelers could be thin at the running back position depending on how healthy Isaac Redman ultimately is by game time. Redman is trying to overcome an ankle injury suffered in the preseason and he did practice fully on Wednesday.
Also currently up in the air is the status of Rashard Mendenhall, who reportedly still hasn\’t had the door closed on him being able to suit up Sunday night. Depending on the final status of Batch, Mendenhall very well could dress for the game and be used in an emergency type situation.
Two running backs that are healthy, Jonathan Dwyer and rookie Chris Rainey, figure to get good playing time in Denver regardless of how the health of the rest of the backs on the roster shake out, and it is not out of the question still that Dwyer could start over Redman after having a spectacular preseason.
The Thursday injury report should provide a little clearer picture of the entire situation when it is released later on today.
