Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — Five members of the Pittsburgh Steelers will have their injury status up in the air as the team begins its preparations to play the Cleveland Browns in Week 17 on Sunday.
Giving his weekly press conference on Tuesday, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin provided little in the way of updates on the status of wide receiver Calvin Austin III, cornerback Brandin Echols, cornerback James Pierre, left guard Isaac Seumalo and outside linebacker T.J. Watt, other than not ruling any of them out and not saying definitely that any of them will play.
Austin and Echols were both injured against the Detroit Lions on Sunday, and neither returned to action after their injuries. Tomlin had no update on the status of Austin’s hamstring injury, while he said that he was “hopeful” that Echols would be able to practice this week after injuring his groin.
Roman Wilson is the most likely replacement for Austin if he’s unable to play, though Scotty Miller could also be in line for a larger role. In the secondary, the Steelers moved Jalen Ramsey from safety to the slot to replace Echols, with Chuck Clark filling in on the back end.
Pierre has missed the last two games with a calf injury he suffered against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 14. Tomlin said that Pierre worked out at the facility on Tuesday morning.
“We’ll see where that leads us,” Tomlin said. “I’m sure he’ll be limited and we’ll follow his progress throughout the week*.”*
Asante Samuel Jr. has replaced Pierre at outside cornerback since his injury. If Pierre can return, Samuel would also be an option to replace Echols in the slot.
Tomlin had no update whatsoever on the status of Watt, who missed the last two games after a lung injury, and Seumalo, who left the team’s Week 15 win over the Miami Dolphins and has yet to return to action.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Five Injured Steelers Up in the Air for Browns Game
