The Steelers are already out of training camp and back at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, informally known as the South Side facility. It’s where they otherwise train all year round, and the shift from Saint Vincent College for training camp back to Pittsburgh signals the approaching arrival of the regular season.
The team had a good few weeks of work up in Latrobe, but there are still unsettled questions that need answering. There are a few position battles yet to be determined, whether one considers the quarterback job up for grabs, or even remotely in the mix.
We’ve got yet another new offensive line with some incoming veterans in James Daniels and Mason Cole. Myles Jack is in at inside linebacker, replacing Joe Schobert, and we’ll have to see if Devin Bush can return to form after last year’s dismal display.
There’s still so much going on, and even coming out of training camp, we’ll only uncover more questions as we go along. We’ll be discussing them here on a daily basis for the community to “talk amongst yourselves”, as Linda Richman might say on Coffee Talk.
Question: Who will be joining Damontae Kazee on the Reserve/Injured List today, if anybody?
I’m sure at least the vast majority of you understand the way that the rules work, by now. In order for a player who is placed on the Reserve/Injured list to be eligible to be designated to return to the 53-man roster later on in the season, he has to be on the initial 53-man roster, so the earliest an injured player can be placed on the Reserve/Injured List and be brought back that season is the day after the initial cuts are made.
With that obvious explanation out of the way, we know of at least one player who is obviously going to be moved today. That is Damontae Kazee, the veteran safety who suffered a wrist injury in the preseason finale. Though it was said yesterday that he is expected to be able to play later this season, it’s probably not going to be in the next month.
The team is not yet at the point at which they have to issue official practice reports, so figuring out who is practicing and who is not is still guesswork, but a big development yesterday was Alex Highsmith and Montravius Adams getting back on the field.
On the other hand, we heard nothing of Calvin Austin III, Miles Killebrew, or Isaiahh Loudermilk. Arthur Maulet has also missed time, and we do not know the level of participation, if any, that any of these players have had in practice lately, even as of yesterday. We only know of Highsmith and Adams because each individually confirmed to reporters that they were practicing.
So, I suppose we have these four players as the candidates who could potentially join Kazee on the Reserve/Injured List today, because we do not know what their practice status is. Of the group, I would think that Austin might be the likeliest, and possibly Killebrew as well. Loudermilk has to be considered, too, in light of their carrying seven defensive linemen, even though it was widely projected that they would.
I would stress that this is all pure speculation and nothing more, but that is, of course, what we do here. We take in the information that’s out there and try to project what we think is going to happen. Personally speaking, my guess is that nobody else goes on IR.
But they are the possibilities. And the carrying of only eight offensive linemen perhaps suggests that they intend to bring back Trent Scott once they place somebody else on the IR, with it already being reported that Marcus Allen will be brought back, so that could mean that at least two players are moved.
Full disclosure: photos of yesterday’s practice do show Killebrew, Maulet, and Austin all on the field with a helmet on, but that only shows us a moment in time, so we don’t know what their level of participation actually was. Austin in particular was only seen standing in the background during a drill, but he was in uniform with a helmet on.
