The Pittsburgh Steelers will host the Miami Dolphins in an AFC Wild Card game on Sunday and their first injury report of the week that was released on Wednesday includes some favorable news when it comes to a few key players.
Practicing fully on Thursday were defensive end Stephon Tuitt (knee), tight end Ladarius Green (concussion), wide receiver Sammie Coates (hamstring), cornerback Justin Gilbert (shoulder), and tight end Xavier Grimble (ribs).
Tuitt and Green have both been sidelined since Week 15 and it’s looking like both starters will ultimately be able to play on Sunday against the Dolphins. Tuitt said Tuesday that he will play against the Dolphins while Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin indicated during his weekly press conference that Green was moving in the right direction with his concussion. If both players can practice fully on Thursday, you can probably count on them playing Sunday.
Green, by the way, still needs clearance by the independent neurologist before being removed from protocol, according to Aditi Kinkhabwala of the NFL Network.
As for Coates, while his hamstring seems to be improving, he did say earlier in the week that the fingers he broke earlier in the season will continue to hamper him until he can get them fixed. Grimble, on the other hand, is currently dealing with cracked ribs that suffered back in Week 15.
Sitting out Wednesday’s practice for the Steelers were safety Robert Golden (ankle), defensive end Ricardo Mathews (ankle), linebacker Anthony Chickillo (ankle), linebacker Vince Williams (shoulder), and running back DeAngelo Williams (not injury related).
Chickillo and Mathews have both been battling their respective ankle injuries for a few weeks now so it will be interesting to see if either player can practice fully by the end of the week. Golden and Vince Williams both suffered their injuries during the Steelers regular season finale against the Cleveland Browns.
Ending on a positive note, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave isn’t listed on the Wednesday injury report. Hargrave had to leave Sundays game against the Browns to get checked for a concussion.
