To say that Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sixth-round draft pick Jordan Zumwalt is in jeopardy of not making the final 53 man roster is an understatement. In fact, you would be best served in saying that the young linebacker is in jeopardy of not making the practice squad at this point.
According to Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin during his Tuesday afternoon press conference, Zumwalt will miss a second-straight preseason game due to a groin injury that has dogged him all throughout training camp.
“It’s the witching hour, not only for him, but for everyone who’s missing time due to injury,” said Tomlin when asked if the UCLA product is running out of time to make the 53 man roster. “That’s just the unfortunate reality of this in certain situations.”
Thanks to the Steelers current depth at the inside linebacker position, even a healthy Zumwalt would have had a hard time making the final 53 man roster this year. In the preseason opener against the New York Giants, Zumwalt did manage to register five total tackles, but lost in that game was the fact that he didn’t play any on special teams and that’s a must for a young backup Steelers linebacker.
With Zumwalt now almost a lock to not make the final 53 man roster, he’ll have to hope that he can get over the groin injury in time to play in the preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers. If he can manage to do that, he’ll have to hope that he’s shown enough to warrant a spot on the practice squad.
