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Steelers Injury Report: Heath Miller will practice fully

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin warns he won't come out of a phone booth with a cape on, but odds seem likely he will return to the field in Week 3 against Chicago.

Charles LeClaire-US PRESSWIRE
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said tight end Heath Miller won't be Superman, appearing to save the Steelers from their currently implied doom.

But the fact he will practice fully this week, and possibly will play in Week 3 against Chicago will be received with a hero's welcome by fans.

The Steelers fill-in tight ends, David Paulson, David Johnson and Michael Palmer, have been inadequate to this point in the season. The 0-2 Steelers have rushed for 75 total yards - or two dozen shy of Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith's total in Week 2 against Dallas.

Tomlin confirmed the news fans have been longing to hear since Miller went down with a torn ACL against Cincinnati in Week 16 last year. If he does suit up and play in Week 3, it will have been approximately nine months since the injury.

While that still seems like an early timetable for the return of a player after that kind of a surgery, the Steelers may simply just need to get him on the field. Odds are long to reach the post-season for teams starting 0-2 - it hasn't happened in the last four seasons.

To Tomlin's point, there's a lot more work that needs to be done in the running game. Miller's return won't fix all of that, but it provides a semblance of hope that it's even possible to be fixed.

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