While DC Teryl Austin isn’t in charge of deciding who will be healthy enough to play against the Cleveland Browns’ offense this Sunday, he thinks two of the team’s safeties will be gametime decisions. Speaking to reporters Thursday, Austin said Minkah Fitzpatrick and Keanu Neal’s availabiilty won’t be known until late in the week, potentially not until shortly before kickoff.
“I think those are gonna go down to game time,” Austin said of Fitzpatrick and Neal via team-provided audio. “As we get closer to game, we’ll see.”
Fitzpatrick has been out with a hamstring injury since Week Eight, hurt early in the team’s loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He hasn’t practiced the last two weeks and sat out Wednesday’s session. During his Tuesday press conference, Mike Tomlin named Fitzpatrick as one player the team would monitor throughout the week. Earlier today, reporter Jeff Hathhorn said he didn’t believe Fitzpatrick would suit up.
Neal was injured running back his fourth-quarter interception in the Week 10 win over the Green Bay Packers. Listed with a rib injury, he also sat out Wednesday’s session. Today’s report should offer more clarity on his and Fitzpatrick’s situations, though it won’t be until Friday until they’re given game statuses. Based on Austin’s comments, both could be listed as questionable and their status truly unknown until the team announces its gameday inactives 90 minutes before kickoff.
If Fitzpatrick and Neal can’t go, the Steelers will roll out a new safety pairing. Damontae Kazee will make up one-half of that while the man opposite of him is unknown. Austin said the team has options.
“We elevated [Trenton Thompson] last week…[Elijah Riley] had to play a little bit more,” he said. “So I think we’ll lean on the guys that have been in the program and try to see if we can get those guys to step up if they have to step up and do job.”
Riley worked in dime packages last week while Thompson came on as a sixth defender after Neal was injured. Riley played well, making tackles and pressuring QB Jordan Love on a slot blitz while Thompson at least has a bit of NFL experience and played well as a mid-training camp addition, securing a spot on the practice squad. Still, against a rookie quarterback, the more experience you can counter with in the secondary, the better.
Pittsburgh and Cleveland kick off Sunday at 1 PM/EST.
