UPDATE, 3:50 p.m.: According to Steelers Depot’s own Alex Kozora, Ogunjobi is still wearing a boot on his right foot and is on the sideline at practice.
Four days after suffering an ankle injury that knocked him from his preseason debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, rookie nose tackle Keeanu Benton returned to practice Tuesday for the Pittsburgh Steelers at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe.
According to Steelers Depot’s own Alex Kozora, Benton was in full pads Tuesday and hit Chuck Noll Field for the padded practice with no limitations. Kozora is reporting that Benton has his right ankle taped.
According to Kozora, Benton participated in individual drills during Tuesday’s practice. He did not participate in initial team drills, according to Kozora.
Benton injured his left ankle in the second half of the Steelers’ 27-17 win, though no update was given after the game. Benton was in sweats Sunday and didn’t practice. Head coach Mike Tomlin called Benton’s injury on Sunday after practice a “day-to-day” thing, so it’s good news that Benton is back on the field for the Steelers so quickly after the ailment.
While the news is good about Benton, it’s not so good regarding backup offensive lineman Nate Herbig.
Herbig hurt his shoulder Sunday and left practice with the injury, which was to be evaluated, per Tomlin. According to Kozora, there is no sling or any sort of wrap on his arm/shoulder, but the big, hulking interior offensive lineman is not practicing Tuesday. In his place, rookie seventh-round pick Spencer Anderson is getting third-team work at center, a position he played in college at Maryland.
We’ll see if Tomlin has any updates on Herbig after practice, but hopefully his injury is just a “day-to-day” issue like Benton’s was.
As for defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi, he is not on the field for practice, per Kozora. Ogunjobi is wearing a boot on his right foot — the same foot that he injured as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals and caused him to miss the Super Bowl and ultimately fail his physical with the Chicago Bears last offseason, ultimately landing him with the Steelers.
In other injury news, rookie cornerback Joey Porter Jr. (ankle) returned to practice Tuesday, participating in full. Linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski (shoulder) did not practice and was walking around the practice field, while safety Tre Norwood (leg) was out of practice. He was jogging on the middle field as he ramps up towards a return, according to Kozora.
Veteran defensive tackle Cameron Heyward returned to practice after battling an illness Sunday, while safety Keanu Neal (undisclosed) was a full go as well.
