The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered quite a few injuries during their Week 2 Sunday home loss to the Seattle Seahawks and on Tuesday head coach Mike Tomlin gave an overview on the health of the team as they start to get ready to play the San Francisco 49ers on the road this Sunday.
Tomlin first confirmed that safety Sean Davis has now been placed on the team’s Reserve/Injured list with a shoulder injury. He wouldn’t say, however, if Davis is done for the entire season when asked about him later during the press conference.
“We’re going to put him on IR,” Tomlin said of Davis. “Obviously IR in today’s NFL, you have the potential for a designation-to-return. But as we sit here, we’ve placed him on IR.”
Tomlin also ran down the other players on the active roster currently dealing with injuries.
“First, let me start with Rosie Nix, he was out last week. We should anticipate him being out again,” Tomlin said. “Then we had a number of other guys who have questionable availability and that as always will be based on practice availability and then their participation within practice. Those guys are Vince Williams with a hamstring that’s being evaluating and determining the degree of that. [Anthony] Chickillo with his foot. [James] Conner with his knee and Joe Haden with his shoulder. Although I mentioned Joe Haden was dealing with that shoulder a week ago and he was able to play in the game with no negative things really to speak of. Probably go through a similar process this week in terms of getting him ready to play.”
Fullback Roosevelt Nix sat out the Steelers Week 2 game against the Seahawks with a knee injury so look for him to miss the game against the 49ers as well. As for outside linebacker Anthony Chickillo and his foot injury that he suffered Sunday against the Seahawks, Tomlin termed that injury after that game as being plantar fasciitis.
Inside linebacker Vince Williams also left Sunday’s game early with a hamstring injury and it won’t be surprising if he’s ultimately unavailable to play Sunday against the 49ers. As for running back James Conner and his knee injury that he suffered later in the second half against the Seahawks, he said on Monday during his radio show that he expects to be ready to face the 49ers.
Cornerback Joe Haden was able to play against the Seahawks this past Sunday despite ending Week 2 listed as questionable ion the team’s final injury report.
Later during his Tuesday press conference Tomlin commented on Conner’s potential availability for Sunday against the 49ers when asked about other running backs on the roster potentially seeing time this coming weekend.
“Again, I’m not ready to say to that James Conner is not going to be a full participant in this game,” Tomlin said. “We’ll let his practice participation be our guide and then everybody else’s division of Labor will tier down from there.”
The Steelers first official injury report of Week 3 will be released after Wednesday’s practice is over with.
