The Pittsburgh Steelers placed special teams captain Miles Killebrew on IR last Thursday after a significant knee injury suffered in Week 6 against the Cleveland Browns. Today, he shared a photo from the hospital in what appears to be an update either before or after undergoing surgery.
He posted the photo on his Instagram story early this afternoon.
Based on the photo, Killebrew appears to be in high spirits and ready to tackle the long rehab process ahead. The exact nature of the knee injury was never announced, but Mike Tomlin called it “significant” last Monday, and he was placed on IR just a few days later. Given that he now appears to have had surgery, it’s safe to assume there was ligament damage involved.
Here is a clip of the injury.
The four-time special teams captain and two-time Pro Bowler has been with the Steelers since 2021 after five years with the Detroit Lions. He will be 33 by the time next season rolls around, and has significant rehab work ahead of him to get back on the field. He signed a two-year extension last offseason, which expires after 2025.
With a mid-October injury, we will see how long it takes Killebrew to get back into football shape. If he isn’t ready by March when free agent decisions have to be made, it could be difficult to reserve a spot for his return. It’s possible he will have to wait until training camp to land with a team if that is even what he wants. He posted an Instagram photo with the caption “See you in a little while” in the immediate aftermath of the injury, for what it’s worth.
In five games this season, Killebrew was credited with five total tackles as a five-unit, core special teamer. The Steelers haven’t made a roster move to replace him yet, but they did host former All-Pro special teamer George Odum for a visit last week.
