The Pittsburgh Steelers won’t release an injury report until Wednesday but there are already encouraging signs coming out of the bye and ahead of their Week 10 game against the Washington Commanders. QB Justin Fields (hamstring) and C Zach Frazier (ankle) practiced in some capacity Monday, as shared on Twitter/X by the PPG’s Brian Batko.
It’s not clear how active they were during practice, but it appears they did some work during individual sessions. For Frazier, it’s a key step forward after failing to practice since injuring his left ankle in the Steelers’ Week 6 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. He missed the team’s Week 7 and 8 games. Ryan McCollum filled in for both contests and held his own.
Speaking to reporters last week, Frazier was optimistic he would return for Week 10. That tracks with previous reporting from Gerry Dulac, who indicated that was when a return was most likely.
The Steelers’ second-round pick out of West Virginia, Frazier has been one of the NFL’s top rookie linemen. Securing the starting job after Nate Herbig went down with a season-ending shoulder injury, Frazier hasn’t looked back and been an impactful run blocker and sturdy in pass protection.
Pittsburgh’s offensive line has been hindered by injuries throughout the season but has been healthier and more stable in recent weeks. LG Isaac Seumalo has returned while rookie Mason McCormick has settled in at right guard for the injured James Daniels.
Fields crept up with a hamstring injury the day before the Steelers’ Week 8 Monday night contest against the New York Giants. Never listed on the team’s official injury report, he was downgraded to questionable and then made inactive/emergency No. 3 quarterback for the game as Kyle Allen filled the No. 2 spot behind Russell Wilson. All indications were that the injury was minor and the team was cautious, and Fields’ return today reinforces that. Still, his situation is one to watch once the first official injury report is issued Wednesday.
In addition to those two, the team could get back EDGE Nick Herbig and RB/KR Cordarrelle Patterson. Batko doesn’t comment if Herbig participated today. While he notes Patterson was on the field, he was also limited all last week before being ruled out. That makes his involvement today less telling, though the bye week gave him even more time to rest the ankle he injured in Week 4.
UPDATE (2:18 PM): 93.7 The Fan shows video of Herbig also going through stretch line, a positive sign for him.
Pittsburgh and Washington kick off Sunday at 1 PM/EST.
