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The Steelers hit the field for the first time this week on Wednesday, with some in-game injuries from Sunday’s win over the Bengals impacting participation.
Running back Najee Harris was limited after suffering a foot injury against the Bengals. Harris said after practice “it’s good” in reference to the foot and didn’t seem to have any hesitation.
“Football happened. Stuff happens,” said Harris. “I’m good.
“It’s part of the sport. It’s a little injury. I got hurt plenty of times. It’s good.”
Coach Mike Tomlin said he wants to see more from Harris this week before his status is determined.
“Naj is really optimistic,” said Tomlin. “It’s good to be young. He appears to be in position, but he’s going to have to practice and prove his readiness. That’s just my perspective. He’s a talented guy, but he’s a young guy, so I’m wanting to see some work from him. We’ll take him day-by-day and see where that leads us in terms of his participation and the quality of participation. As always, we’ll simply do what’s right for him and for us.”
Cornerback Levi Wallace was also limited after injuring his ankle against the Bengals. Wallace seemed optimistic after practice as well.
“I’m good,” said Wallace. “Sundays still far away.
“Luckily, I am a little young, not as young as I used to be, so my body recovers faster. I was in a little bit of pain, wasn’t able to return. God willing, I am able to go this week . A couple of days of rest. Even today with the t-shirt and hat practice definitely helped me. Another day of rest. I am looking forward to the challenge this week.”
Center Mason Cole was also limited with an ankle injury, and linebacker Robert Spillane was a full participant after an eye injury on Sunday.
TJ Watt didn’t practice as Tomlin has already ruled him out for Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots at Arizona Stadium.
Watt was injured late in the win over the Bengals, and the amount of time he is expected to miss has yet to be determined.
“I can definitively say that TJ won’t play this week, but I won’t make any commitments beyond that,” said Coach Mike Tomlin in his weekly press conference. “We’re encouraged and we’ll just continue to look at the situation and gain opinions and do what’s appropriate. We’re going to do what’s appropriate, as we always do, whether it’s him or others from a health perspective.”
With Watt out, the work will fall on others in the defense, including Malik Reed and Jamir Jones.
“When you lose a guy like him, it’s not about the guys that occupy his position of left outside linebacker, it’s about how we redistribute our responsibilities collectively to produce the collective outcome that we desire,” said Tomlin. “Those guys are not going to be TJ, it’s not realistic to think that they’re going to be TJ, but we expect them to be varsity. We’re going to formulate a plan to redistribute responsibilities to lean on our strengths and to minimize our weaknesses, like we always do each and every week.”
Reed, who was acquired via a trade with the Denver Broncos, feels comfortable with whatever role is asked of him.
“I’m ready for sure,” said Reed. “I’m definitely ready for it and ready to embrace it. They just said be ready for your role to expand. I knew it was part of my reason for coming here, so I’ve been ready for it.”
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