The Pittsburgh Steelers have a long list of injured players heading into Week 2 of the 2019 regular season but as of Tuesday, head coach Mike Tomlin was optimistic that most of the walking wounded will be able to ultimately play Sunday in the team’s home game against the Seattle Seahawks.
According to Tomlin on Tuesday, outside linebacker T.J. Watt (hip), cornerback Joe Haden (shoulder), wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (toe) and center Maurkice Pouncey (ankle) might all be limited in practice at the start of the week. However, Tomlin indicated that he was optimistic that all four of those player will ultimately be able to play Sunday against the Seahawks.
“As I stand here, whether it’s Pouncey or JuJu or others that we talked about briefly in some form or fashion after the game, they may be limited at some portions of the week, or the early portions of the week,” Tomlin said. “But I think we’re all optimistic about their availability. The week will tell the story as we work.”
Steelers safety Sean Davis (ankle), who missed the regular season opener against the New England Patriots with an injury, is in the same boat as Watt, Haden, Smith-Schuster and Pouncey, according to Tomlin.
One player who suffered an injury Sunday night who is unlikely to play this coming Sunday against the Seahawks is fullback Roosevelt Nix (knee). Nix, according to Tomlin, suffered a knee injury against the Patriots and it’s currently being evaluated. That injury could keep Nix sidelined at least a few weeks and maybe longer, judging by Tomlin’s Tuesday comments.
“Rosie Nix is one that’s probably a little bit different worth mentioning,” Tomlin said. “He has a knee injury that’s being evaluated. He may miss this game and another or two. I’ll have more information as we gather it regarding him, but he is one and I don’t think I specifically mentioned him after the game, that may be a little different than some of the others.”
