The Pittsburgh Steelers added two new names to their Thursday injury report, joining the two others who appeared on it yesterday. OT Chukwuma Okorafor (back) and DE Cam Heyward (coach’s decision) sat out Thursday’s practice. Elsewhere, LB Marcus Allen was a full participant after dealing with a hamstring injury while WR Diontae Johnson was again limited with a shoulder injury. Johnson’s injury designation also included cramps.
Okorafor’s status for Sunday’s opener against the Cincinnati Bengals is now unclear. If he can’t play, his replacement is also a bit uncertain. The team would most likely turn to veteran OT Trent Scott, who saw time at both tackle spots this summer. Scott’s been coached under Pat Meyer throughout his career and knows his system well. Jesse Davis is another option to fill in for Okorafor. He’s logged over 2000 snaps at right tackle over his NFL career, though he’s most recently played guard and profiles best inside.
Heyward is in no danger of missing Sunday’s game and should return to practice tomorrow. Allen also appears on track to play this weekend. He missed more than a month with his hamstring injury and was initially released by the team before being brought back after cutdowns.
Johnson’s status for Sunday remains unclear though teammates and OC Matt Canada sounded optimistic that he’d be able to play this weekend. Johnson suffered the shoulder injury in the preseason finale against the Detroit Lions on August 28th.
