As expected, the Pittsburgh Steelers have given the green light to rookie outside linebacker Ola Adeniyi. They have placed him on the Injured Reserve/Designated To Return List, opening up a three week window to activate him to the 53 man roster.
Adeniyi was placed on injured reserve after suffering a hamstring late in the preseason. A rookie sensation at St. Vincent and games, he recorded nine total tackles, three sacks, and forced two fumbles. Yesterday, he tweeted yesterday he would return to practice.
The Steelers could be looking for OLB help this weekend when they travel to take on the Denver Broncos. Anthony Chickillo suffered an ankle injury late in Sunday’s win over Jacksonville, leaving his status uncertain. He has been the only backup outside linebacker on the roster.
Still, for Adeniyi to go from not practicing to playing in the matter of days is a tall task. It’s more likely the team will call up someone from the practice squad, Keion Adams or Farrington Huguenin, instead. Neither have played in a regular season game. Should Chickillo miss, the Steelers will also need to find a way to replace him on special teams. He’s a core special teamer and plays on every unit. One of Adeniyi’s biggest concerns isn’t his work defensively but his ability to run and cover kicks and punts.
There’s no mention of Eli Rogers, still on PUP after tearing his ACL in the 2017 playoff loss to Jacksonville. We’ll see if the same move is made later today.
