The Pittsburgh Steelers have now released their Wednesday injury report ahead of their Sunday home game against the Cleveland Browns at Heinz Field and unfortunately it is much longer than what we expected it to be.
Not practicing on Wednesday were quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (foot), tight end Matt Spaeth (knee), linebacker Ryan Shazier (knee), running back DeAngelo Williams (foot), linebacker James Harrison (knee), tight end/fullback Will Johnson (back), tackle Marcus Gilbert (toe) and safety Shamarko Thomas (knee).
At this point, you can probably count on Roethlisberger sitting out Sunday’s game as Landry Jones will more than likely make his second career start. If that indeed happens, Mike Vick will serve as the backup to Jones.
On Tuesday, head coach Mike Tomlin indicated that Spaeth would be out this week and that Williams, Shazier and Harrison were all likely to sit out the early portions of the week. He did not mention Johnson, Gilbert and Thomas during his run down of the team’s injuries, however.
With Spaeth out, rookie tight end Jesse James is expected to dress again on Sunday. James was active for the first time this season this past Sunday against the Oakland Raiders and he caught two passes for 13 yards and a touchdown.
Limited on Wednesday, according to the injury report, were linebacker Terence Garvin (knee), running back Isaiah Pead (knee) and nose tackle Steve McLendon (elbow). Garvin, however, has already been ruled out for Sunday’s game. Pead signed with the Steelers just a few weeks ago after starting running back Le’Veon Bell was lost for the season to a knee injury. It’s not a good sign that he’s already limited in practices due to an injury.
