The Steelers are now back at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, facing down a long regular season that looks a lot more promising given how things have gone leading up to it. Finishing just above .500 last year, they anticipate being able to compete with any team in the league this season with second-year QB Kenny Pickett leading the way.
They’ve done a great deal to address what they identified as their shortcomings during the offseason, which included addressing the offensive and defensive lines as well as the secondary and the inside linebacker room, which is nearly entirely different from last year. The results have been positive so far.
Even well into the regular season and beyond, there are going to be plenty of questions that need answered. When will the core rookies get to play, or even start? Is the depth sufficient where they upgraded? Can they stand toe-to-toe with the Bengals and the other top teams in the league? We’ll try to frame the conversation in relevant ways as long as you stick with us throughout the season, as we have for many years.
Question: Will Keanu Neal practice this week?
Remember him? The veteran safety played 430 snaps for this defense through the first nine games of the season before suffering a rib injury while returning an interception. The Steelers placed him on the Reserve/Injured List on Nov. 18.
Four games have passed since then. That means he is eligible to return to practice this week, in doing so opening a 21-day window for his return. Given that there are only four more games left to play, one would think that if he’s healthy he would be returning soon.
The team never commented on the extent of the rib injury he suffered. As far as I’m aware, nobody has really made any mention of it for weeks. He has been somewhat forgotten about, especially with the return of Minkah Fitzpatrick, who himself missed four games.
While the return of Neal wouldn’t exactly make or break the season, it would help out in coverage in allowing the Steelers to better utilize three-safety looks and taking coverage-incapable middle linebackers off the field.
They have been using first-year Trenton Thompson as a third safety, and he started a couple of games before Fitzpatrick returned. While he made some plays early on, he is still limited, and has since been quieter.
The fact that the linebackers have been abused in coverage in recent weeks makes the possibility of Neal returning and allowing one of the other safeties to draw more coverage assignments all the more appealing.
Head coach Mike Tomlin actually was asked about Neal yesterday during his pre-game press conference, but he offered next to nothing. All he had to say was “no update on Keanu’s status”. Most I imagine will interpret that as an indication that he isn’t close to returning, but Tomlin also has a habit of pleading ignorance to anything he doesn’t have to know. That includes the health status of his players if he can tell reporters that he hadn’t visited the locker room or rehab room before his press conference.
