When the Pittsburgh Steelers hit the road to take on the Cleveland Browns Sunday at Cleveland Browns Stadium in a key AFC North battle, there’s a good chance they do so without star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick for the third week in a row.
At least, that’s the belief from Steelers reporter Jeff Hathhorn from 93.7 The Fan.
Appearing on the 93.7 The Fan Morning Show Thursday, Hathhorn stated that he doesn’t believe Fitzpatrick will play Sunday against the Browns, adding that the star safety “doesn’t appear close.”
“Yeah, I don’t think Minkah is going to play. He doesn’t appear close to where he’s almost on the field. Now, all of that could change today, but I don’t see that happening,” Hathhorn said to Morning Show co-hosts Adam Crowley and Dorin Dickerson, according to audio via 93.7 The Fan. “And that was kind of the hope, like ‘Okay, he’s not ready for Green Bay but they’re saving him for Ohio.’ It doesn’t look like that, and hamstrings are tricky.”
For the second straight week, a Steelers reporter has taken some of the air out of the balloon of optimism regarding Fitzpatrick. Last week it was Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter Gerry Dulac stating quite early in the week he wasn’t going to play, and now it’s Hathhorn adding he doesn’t see Fitzpatrick playing against Cleveland.
That said, as Hathhorn made sure to point out, it could all change Thursday depending on the injury report from the Steelers.
Fitzpatrick, who injured his hamstring early in the Week Eight home loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, did not participate in Wednesday’s practice as part of a long list on the Week 11 injury report ahead of the matchup against the Browns. He has not practiced since his injury.
In a tough matchup against a physical Browns team, the Steelers are going to need all the help they can get defensively, though they will be going against rookie quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson making just his second career start. Should Fitzpatrick not be able to go, veterans Damontae Kazee and Keanu Neal will have to carry the load at safety once again.
If Fitzpatrick misses Week 11 against the Browns, hopefully that means he’ll be ready to go for Week 12 against the high-powered Cincinnati Bengals, giving Fitzpatrick a few more days of rest and recovery before he makes a return to the lineup and hopefully makes a quick impact.
