Player: S DeShon Elliott
Stock Value: Down
Reasoning: After missing one game, Steelers S DeShon Elliott is still not practicing. If he fails to practice today, he is likely to be absent for their pivotal game against his former team on Saturday. They certainly missed his physical presence this past game against the Eagles and can’t afford another game like that.
Sometimes you can learn as much about the value of someone or something by its absence. While the Steelers weren’t taking S DeShon Elliott for granted, they got to see firsthand how much worse their discipline was without him last Sunday.
Unfortunately, it appears they may have to give it another go without him. While he is doing some individual work off to the side, DeShon Elliott is still not practicing. The veteran is coming off a hamstring injury, which kept them out of the Steelers’ last game against the Eagles.
Signed as a free agent this offseason, Elliott quickly established himself as a leader. His communication, drive, and physicality help set the tone for the defense, and his play makes a difference. In 13 games, he has 96 tackles, three for loss, an interception, two forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries. He also has six passes defensed, one off his career high.
Injuries have been a story throughout DeShon Elliott’s career, managing to play only one full season. He looked to be on his way to another one in his first season with the Steelers, but it was not to be. The question is how much time he will miss.
Having already missed the Eagles game, Elliott could also miss playing against the Ravens, his former team. And then the Steelers have a short turnaround, playing on Wednesday, making it possible he could miss three games.
One hopes Elliott will be able to practice today and play on Saturday, but we shall see. At best, I would anticipate a questionable designation, and it seems unlikely he will practice in full today. He doesn’t need a full practice in order to be able to play, given his veteran status, but it wouldn’t be a good sign. And even if he does play Saturday, the Steelers might limit his snaps or assignments.
As the season progresses, Steelers players’ stocks rise and fall. The nature of the evaluation differs with the time of year, with in-season considerations being more often short-term. Considerations in the offseason often have broader implications, particularly when players lose their jobs, or the team signs someone. This time of year is full of transactions, whether minor or major.
A bad game, a new contract, an injury, a promotion—any number of things affect a player’s value. Think of it as a stock on the market, based on speculation. You’ll feel better about a player after a good game, or worse after a bad one. Some stock updates are minor, while others are likely to be quite drastic, so bear in mind the degree. I’ll do my best to explain the nature of that in the reasoning section of each column.
