The Pittsburgh Steelers placed CB C.J. Henderson on injured reserve and signed RB Jonathan Ward to the active roster off the practice squad, the team announced today.
The team also placed CB Zyon Gilbert on the practice squad injured list, they announced. That frees up two spots on Pittsburgh’s practice squad with Ward being signed to the active roster.
Henderson had already been ruled out of Sunday’s Week 11 game against the Baltimore Ravens with a neck injury that caused him to miss practice on Thursday and Friday. Ward had been released from Pittsburgh’s active roster but had re-signed on the practice squad earlier this week. Ward signing back to the active roster puts RB Jaylen Warren’s status in doubt for Sunday’s game. Warren is currently listed as questionable with a back injury.
Ward has five carries for 22 yards this season for the Steelers and has appeared in four games. Most of his work came in Week 6 against the Las Vegas Raiders, when he had 3 carries for 13 yards. He’ll likely serve as Pittsburgh’s third running back behind Najee Harris and Cordarrelle Patterson if Warren is indeed out.
Henderson has not appeared in a game yet for the Steelers this season. With him now on IR, Pittsburgh’s cornerback depth is further depleted, although CB Cory Trice Jr. could return soon despite being ruled out for Sunday.
Ward was out of elevations, as he had already been elevated to the active roster off the practice squad three times. Thus, the Steelers had no choice but to sign him to the active roster again. When Warren returns to full health, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Ward wound up being waived again, but the team clearly likes him as they brought him back after waiving him with Cordarrelle Patterson’s return last week.
He’s someone the team can rely on in the backfield and in a special teams role if Warren is indeed down, and we’ll see if he gets any run against the Ravens in Pittsburgh’s first divisional contest of the year on Sunday.
