Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger doesn\’t have a medical degree, but that doesn\’t prevent him from commenting on the status of injured players. Roethlisberger said Friday morning that from what he\’s heard, the knee injury suffered by rookie running back Le\’Veon Bell Thursday during practice isn\’t bad.
Bell agrees with the diagnosis of Dr. Roethlisberger as he told the media Friday it was just an aggravation of his previous knee bruise.
Head coach Mike Tomlin told the media following Thursday\’s practice that the Steelers second-round draft pick re-aggravated the left knee injury that prevented him from playing in preseason opener against the New York Giants. He also added that he wasn\’t concerned about the injury even though Bell was to be evaluated further later in the evening.
Bell reportedly needed ice wrapped around both sides of the knee as a result of the re-aggravation and was walking with a noticeable limp even after removing the wrap later in the day. The injury took place when Bell was hit during a non-contact period.
It is unknown right now if Bell will miss the Steelers second preseason game Monday night against the Washington Redskins, but he more than likely won\’t practice Friday. While Bell said Friday that he wants to play Monday night, Tomlin will more than likely hold him out once again as a precaution.
There is no reason to rush Bell right now as the Steelers need him to be fully healthy for the season opener. There will be two more preseason games for Bell to show what he has and thus plenty of time to win the starting running back job.
