While we don’t know the official status of TE Vance McDonald, the initial signs don’t sound promising. McDonald is apparently in a sling today after injuring his shoulder in Sunday’s loss, according to this tweet from Dale Lolley.
McDonald left last week’s after taking a hard shot reaching up for this pass from Mason Rudolph early in the second quarter.
He played the following snap, a third down incompletion to Diontae Johnson, before exiting the game. He finished the day with one reception for ten yards on a designed TE screen.
Depth at the position is among the weakest on the team. Despite being elevated to a more prominent role, Xavier Grimble has continued to struggle while Zach Gentry made his NFL debut against the 49ers, playing ten nondescript snaps. Grimble will be the starter with McDonald out.
With the team not playing the Cincinnati Bengals until Monday night, the team won’t release their first official injury report until Thursday. Mike Tomlin is slated to meet with the media tomorrow afternoon and should provide an update on McDonald’s status, though Tomlin is often vague about the nature of injuries.
For the season, McDonald has ten receptions for 88 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
