All things considered, the Pittsburgh Steelers are a fairly healthy team as they now prepare to play the Buffalo Bills this coming Sunday on the road. The team released their first injury report of Week 14 on Wednesday and thankfully it didn’t include any surprises.
As expected, wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey (foot) was sidelined today. Safety Shamarko Thomas (concussion) and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave (concussion) both remain in the league’s protocol program and both failed to practice on Wednesday. The two players suffered their concussions during Sunday’s home win over the New York Giants.
But the Steelers did get some good news with DeAngelo Williams (knee) working in limited capacity. He was held out of last Wednesday’s practice so this is a clear positive step for him.
As for kicker Chris Boswell (abdomen), he also failed to practice on Wednesday and his status for Sundays game against the Bills remains in question. Should Boswell ultimately be unable to return this coming weekend, the Steelers would once again let newly signed kicker Randy Bullock handle all the kicking duties just as he did this past Sunday.
Should Hargrave ultimately be unable to play against the Bills, defensive end Ricardo Mathews figures to start opposite Stephon Tuitt. Additionally, Daniel McCullers would be the team’s nose tackle in the base defense.
We could see the Steelers promote a defensive lineman from their practice squad on Saturday depending on what ultimately happens with Hargrave the remainder of the week. Caushaud Lyons or Johnny Maxey would be the two players the Steelers would choose from.
Two players had their reps modified for non-injury reasons. Ben Roethlisberger was limited while Ramon Foster was given the day off. They will both start Sunday.
