The Pittsburgh Steelers will host the Kansas City Chiefs Saturday night at Heinz Field as they look to win their first game of the preseason. Below is a look at the unofficial injury report heading into the game.
CB Cortez Allen (knee) – If things go as planned, cornerback Cortez Allen will make his preseason debut Saturday night against the Chiefs. Allen had minor knee surgery right after training camp got underway, so he needs to get as many snaps as possible in order to knock whatever rust he might have off.
TE David Johnson (knee) – Like Allen, David Johnson should see his first game action against the Chiefs. After tearing up his knee in the first game of the 2012 preseason, Johnson seemed to be on course to be ready for the start of training camp, but ultimately needed a cleanup procedure performed following the mandatory mini camp that resulted in him being placed on the Active PUP list.
RB LaRod Stephens-Howling (knee) – Prior to the game Monday night against the Washington Redskins, Stephens-Howling was surprisingly scratched and it was ultimately revealed that he had a minor knee sprain. Head coach Mike Tomlin stated Thursday that the running back did indeed practice earlier that day and that he had suffered a grade one MCL sprain. It would not be surprising to see Stephens-Howling held out against the Chiefs, but we won\’t likely know his status until about an hour before game time.
RB Isaac Redman (stinger) – Redman did not play last week against the Redskins after suffering a stinger in practice earlier in the week. All signs point to him starting Saturday night.
FB Will Johnson (ribs) – Johnson suffered a rib injury last week against the Redskins, but later stated on Twitter that he would be ready to play against the Chiefs. There really haven\’t been any reports about his status over the course of the week, so we will have to wait and see if he is allowed to play.
RB Baron Batch (stinger) – Batch left the game the Monday night with a stinger, but there has really been no reports on him ever since. We can only assume he\’ll play and that the injury wasn\’t very serious.
RB Le\’Veon Bell (foot) – Bell suffered a right mid-foot sprain early in the game last week and has been ruled out for the rest of the preseason. The injury will not require surgery, but he isn\’t expected to be ready for the start of the regular season nonetheless.
G Justin Cheadle (hamstring) – Cheadle is expected to miss his second consecutive game with a serious hamstring injury.
CB DeMarcus Van Dyke (hamstring) – To my knowledge, Van Dyke has yet to return to practice after suffering a serious hamstring injury several weeks ago.
CB Terry Hawthorne (cramps) – The Steelers fifth-round draft pick saw his first action of the preseason last week, but left the game because of cramps. One would think he should be able to play Saturday night.
LB Stevenson Sylvester (ankle) – Sylvester was forced to miss the game Monday night with an ankle injury that he suffered in the preseason opener against the New York Giants. We can only hope he\’ll be ready to play Saturday night as he certainly could use the playing time before the start of the regular season.
DE Nick Williams (undisclosed) – Tomlin said Thursday during his press conference that he was hopeful Williams would play against the Chiefs. However, we aren\’t sure what ails him. It could be that he aggravated a previous knee injury that forced him to him the preseason opener.
TE Matt Spaeth – (foot) – Spaeth is still currently recovering from Lisfranc surgery and will not play for the remainder of the preseason and the start of the regular season.
TE Heath Miller (knee) – Miller remains on the PUP list and will not play Saturday night.
LB Sean Spence (knee) – Spence, like Miller, remains on the PUP list and thus will not play against the Chiefs.
