UPDATE, 2:45 p.m. Veteran safety Damontae Kazee practiced fully Sunday and received first-team reps at safety, breaking up a pass in seven shots. Kazee had been out roughly two weeks with an ankle injury. While he had been dressed and saw some work in individual drills, Sunday marked the first time Kazee was back in team sessions.
Coming out of Friday’s preseason opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Pittsburgh Steelers were a bit banged up.
Linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski, cornerback Duke Dawson and linebacker Chappelle Russell were all injured in Friday night’s game and were being evaluated after the game, according to head coach Mike Tomlin.
Russell left the game in the first half with a knee injury, while Kwiatkoski left with a shoulder injury in the second half. Neither Russell nor Kwiatkoski is practicing on Sunday. Russell was waived/injured Sunday and the Steelers signed former Indianapolis Colts linebacker and special teamer Forrest Rhyne.
Kwiatkoski was spotted on the field in his practice jersey, just without pads on as he sits out after injuring his shoulder.
Dawson’s injury appeared to be the most serious of the bunch. He went down with a knee injury in the back of the end zone in the second half on a forced incompletion, needing assistance getting off the field without putting any weight on his left knee. Dawson will not practice on Sunday, but he’s walking around on the field, which is a great sign given that his injury looked potentially severe.
Along with the three injuries he noted after the game, rookie nose tackle Keeanu Benton was injured in the Steelers’ 27-17 win and left with an ankle injury, though no update was given after the game. Benton was in sweats and will not practice on Sunday, per Alex Kozora. In addition to Benton, RB John Lovett and S Tre Norwood remain out of practice. Norwood is dealing with a leg injury. Joey Porter Jr., who was held out of Sunday’s game and had dealt with a minor ankle injury, has his helmet and pads for practice on Sunday, but his participation level is unknown.
Veterans Cameron Heyward, T.J. Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick and Patrick Peterson were all held out of Friday night’s game, though due to veteran rest rather than injury. Defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi did not play though because of an ailment.
