Even though Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Ladarius Green will begin his first training camp with his new team on the Active PUP list, he still sounds confident that he’ll be ready to play by the time the regular season gets underway.
According to Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Green, who reportedly had a plate inserted into his ankle in addition to having a ligament repaired during offseason surgery, said Friday there are still some things he has to work through in his rehab. He didn’t, however, give timetable for his return to the football field.
According to Chris Mueller of the Beaver County Times, Green told the media Friday that he tried to talk the Steelers coaching staff out of placing him on PUP at the start of training camp. He did say, however, that expects to be ready for the team’s Monday night road opener against the Washington Redskins.
During his Thursday press conference, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said that he didn’t know how long it would take for Green to get on the same page with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger when he is finally able to practice. He also said Thursday that he and the team anticipated Green’s injury would linger into the summer but refused to give a timetable for his return to the field.
With Green sidelined, second-year tight end Jesse James will get quite a bit of work with the Steelers first-team offense during training camp. Additionally, backup tight ends David Johnson, Xavier Grimble, Paul Lang and Mandel Dixon should all get plenty of opportunities to make a case while at Latrobe as to why each are deserving of a spot on the team’s final 53-man roster.
The Steelers signed Green to a four-year, $20 million free agent contract in March. The Louisiana–Lafayette product spent his first four seasons in the league with the San Diego Chargers as a backup to future Hall of Famer Antonio Gates. Green enters the 2016 season with 77 career catches for 1,087 yards and 7 touchdowns.
