The Pittsburgh Steelers hit the field for Friday Night Lights practice at Latrobe Memorial Stadium, and there are a few notable injuries to report. CB Cory Trice suffered a hamstring injury, according to head coach Mike Tomlin. Trice has been injury-prone throughout his career, and if this injury sidelines him, it could hurt his chances to crack the 53-man roster. We’ll likely learn more about Trice’s status in the coming days.
The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo passed along Tomlin’s comments on Trice, while adding that OT Calvin Anderson “slipped,” causing his injury.
Anderson limped off the field toward the end of practice and was attended to by trainers. With the Steelers’ offensive line depth thin, an injury to Anderson would be a blow. Anderson had filled in for Broderick Jones, with Jones missing time over the past few practices. The Steelers also have Dylan Cook and Gareth Warren as options at offensive tackle behind Jones and Troy Fautanu.
OT Broderick Jones, who has been limited the past few days with a groin injury and only worked in individual drills the last two days, got team reps in seven shots and worked during 1v1s on Friday night. It’s a positive development for him during an important training camp as he transitions to left tackle. Jones didn’t participate in other team periods, however, so he isn’t fully back to 100%.
CB Joey Porter Jr. also didn’t dress and didn’t practice for Friday Night Lights, but Tomlin said he expects him back soon, per TribLive’s Joe Rutter.
C Ryan McCollum, who missed some practice time last week, did not practice on Friday.
OG Isaac Seumalo was limited for the second day in a row. He was activated off the non-football injury list yesterday, and hasn’t yet returned to full practice. Even though he’s been limited so far, it’s positive that Seumalo has been able to return to practice.
FB/TE DJ Thomas-Jones did not practice on Friday after being carted off during Sunday’s practice. It was the third practice in a row that Thomas-Jones missed.
DT Esezi Otomewo also did not practice, nor did DL Dean Lowry, as both are dealing with knee injuries suffered during practice on Wednesday.
With the Steelers already banged up at defensive tackle, DT Keeanu Benton didn’t see reps in the second half of practice, per Alex Kozora. It’s unknown if that was injury-related or if it was just to manage his reps.
Trice was expected to serve as cornerback depth for the Steelers, but if he can’t hit the field, he may wind up getting squeezed out. He’s suffered an injury every season so far in his three-year career, including missing his entire rookie season with a torn ACL. Anderson’s injury, if significant, is a blow to Pittsburgh’s offensive line depth. With Tomlin not mentioning Benton, it was likely more rep management than injury-related, but it’s still something to keep an eye on.
The Steelers return to practice at Saint Vincent College tomorrow at 1:50 p.m.
