Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Ladarius Green made his 2016 debut Sunday in the team’s home loss to the Dallas Cowboys and while he only played on a limited basis, he still managed to catch 3 passes for 30 yards. On Wednesday, however, Green showed up as limited on the Steelers injury report with a knee problem but it doesn’t sound like it’s going to keep him from playing in Sunday’s road game against the Cleveland Browns.
Green said Thursday morning that he tweaked his right knee late in Cowboys game and woke up Monday with swelling, according to Chris Mueller of the Beaver County Times. With that said, he also stated that he did everything in practice on Thursday despite being listed as limited
While Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin didn’t mention Green on Tuesday when he updated the overall health of his team, he did comment on how he thought the tight end played in his debut against the Cowboys.
“I thought it was a solid start,” Tomlin said “I thought he had a couple of combat catch plays he could have delivered us, some plays that I’ve seen him make in a short period of time from a practice standpoint. But were excited to have him, were excited to have his contributions, we’re excited to watch those contributions grow as we continue to move forward. Fully anticipate that happening. Like the attitude and approach that he brings to the work.”
On Thursday, Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley hinted that Green could see his snaps start increasing as well.
“I would expect Ladarius Green, now that he’s got in there and got some snaps, to continue to press for more playing time and more playmaking,” Haley said on Steelers Nation Radio.
The Steelers aren’t likely to have wide receivers Darrius Heyward-Bey and Markus Wheaton both again on Sunday in Cleveland so the offense really could use Green on the field more if that’s the case. He only played 12 offensive snaps in the loss to the Cowboys and perhaps he’ll see double that amount against the Browns.
