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: Will Damontae Kazee be able to return later this season?
Damontae Kazee suffered a wrist injury while making a tackle last night, one that was apparently serious enough for him to require surgery, according to Gerry Dulac. That’s about as much as we know right now. What we don’t know is that this means it’s an injury that will end his season or if he is a candidate to return later on in the season.
We would get a very definitive answer if the team were to place him on the Reserve/Injured List today or tomorrow. He has to be on the initial 53-man roster in order to be eligible to return, but you can’t put him on the roster and on IR the same day, so if he has any chance of playing in 2022, then he has to be on the roster at least until Wednesday.
A veteran safety with position versatility as well as significant starting experience, Kazee was shaping up to be a very valuable sub-package contributor as well as backup. At the moment, we do not know if the Steelers will miss out on that entirely or if he might be available later this year.
I’m sure we will be hearing from Melanie Friedlander soon enough, who just so happens to know a little bit more about medical matters than I do, and to whom I very willingly and very gladly defer. In the meantime, I simply join you in your frustration as a fan in losing a player whom we were encouraged by and were looking forward to seeing him play.
