Steelers Now
Pittsburgh Steelers starting strong safety DeShon Elliott was unexpectedly listed as questionable to play on Thursday night against the Cincinnati Bengals when the team published its final injury status for the game on Wednesday afternoon.
Elliott is apparently fully healthy, but was listed as missing the team’s walkthrough on Wednesday due to personal reasons. He also did not participate in the team’s Tuesday practice, but that was characterized as for resting reasons.
Elliott previously missed two games this season due to a knee injury suffered during the Week 1 win over the New York Jets. He returned against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 4.
If Elliott can’t play, the Steelers will likely use a combination of Chuck Clark and Jabrill Peppers to replace him at strong safety, as they did in Weeks 2 and 3. Clark started against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2 and Peppers started in Week 3 at the New England Patriots. Clark was a healthy scratch last week.
The Steelers will also be without backup strong safety and special teams captain Miles Killebrew, who was ruled out with a knee injury. The Steelers have one safety on their practice squad, rookie Jack Henderson, who just recently joined the team.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Starting Safety Unexpectedly Listed as Questionable vs. Bengals
