Steelers Injury Report: Cortez Allen is out against Redskins

A sight for sore eyes, Cortez Allen returned to the Pittsburgh Steelers this week after missing time with a sore knee.  While having him back in practice was good for the chemistry of the starting secondary, he will not start the team's second preseason game.

The @steelers CB Cortez Allen will not dress tonight and is slated to be replaced in the starting lineup by William Gay.

— Burt Lauten (@SteelersPRBurt) August 19, 2013

Gay may start on the outside, but expect the reserves to play the majority of the game as the team has some tough decisions to make in the defensive back department.

Curtis Brown is just returning from an injury of his own.  Josh Victorian and Isaiah Green continue to duel for whatever roster spots are left, and now they also have to contend with rookie Terry Hawthorne who returned this week as well after recovering from off-season surgery to remove bone chips from his knee.

Coach Tomlin vowed to play the starters longer than he did against the New York Giants in the first preseason game, but with first cuts coming on August 27th, the team will be looking to evaluate their roster battles in game conditions.

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• Report says Heath Miller may miss first month of season
• Are the Steelers injury-prone? An in-depth look at the answer