If you are wondering why it took so long for Pittsburgh Steelers rookie wide receiver Markus Wheaton to return to practice on a full-time basis after suffering a broken pinky finger in the Week 4 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, Scott Brown of ESPN.com has the answer for you.
According to Brown, Wheaton’s smallest digit was so messed up that doctors had to rotate it in order to fix it and screws were needed to hold in place.
Wheaton, who continues to be mentored by veteran wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery while unable to play, practiced fully on Wednesday and is slated to play Sunday against the Buffalo Bills.
“I’m so excited,” said Wheaton, according to the report by Brown. “I love to play the game. Hopefully I can contribute to the team.”
Wheaton, who Cotchery referred to as a sponge on Thursday, has played all of 56 snaps on offense so far this year and has caught three passes for 26 yards. The Steelers will likely ease him back into playing time as he had yet to overtake his mentor on the depth chart prior to suffering the finger injury.
