The Pittsburgh Steelers have released their Thursday injury report ahead of Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals. Per their report, a pair of players sat out today’s practice. S Damontae Kazee (illness) and DL Cam Heyward (rest) failed to practice.
Limited Thursday were CB Cory Trice Jr. (hamstring), NT Montravius Adams (knee), EDGE Alex Highsmith (ankle), and NT Keeanu Benton (hip).
Working in full were OG Isaac Seumalo and DL Larry Ogunjobi. Both sat out yesterday due to rest.
Steelers’ Thursday Injury Report
DNP
DL Cam Heyward (rest)
S Damontae Kazee (illness)
Limited
NT Montravius Adams (knee)
NT Keeanu Benton (hip)
EDGE Alex Highsmith (ankle)
CB Cory Trice Jr. (hamstring)
Full
OG Isaac Seumalo (rest)
DL Larry Ogunjobi (rest)
Highsmith returned to practice for the first time since injuring his ankle in Week 10. Benton popped up on today’s report for the first time this week. He failed to finish the team’s Week 12 game against the Cleveland Browns but wasn’t mentioned by Mike Tomlin postgame or during his Tuesday presser.
Overall, Pittsburgh can be thankful for good overall health on this Thanksgiving. A 10-day mini-bye week certainly helps but the Steelers entered and exited the Browns Week 12 game without major injury. Highsmith is the biggest name on the list and his status remains uncertain for the Bengals game. He rolled his ankle late in the Steelers’ Week 10 win over the Washington Commanders, his second injury that’s cost him multiple games after aggravating a groin injury early in the year.
After practicing fully Wednesday, Trice and Adams going backwards is a discouraging sign but the fact both were limited may signal the team intentionally ramped them down today. They remain candidates to be activated from injured reserve this weekend. Trice has been out since injuring his hamstring in Week 3 but has practiced fully for two weeks while Adams had his 21-day window opened yesterday. He’s been shelved for the past month with a knee injury, leaving the team without a true nose tackle. Dean Lowry has assumed the role in his place. Their statuses on tomorrow’s final report will be worth watching.
If Kazee misses the Bengals game, the Steelers will be thin at safety and lose a dime-package player. They could elevate veteran Eric Rowe, whom they signed to the practice squad earlier this month. He started the final three regular-season games for the Steelers last season due to injuries.
Pittsburgh and Cincinnati kick off Sunday at 1 PM/EST.
