Steelers Injury Report: The wait-and-see begins for the Black-and-gold

The Pittsburgh Steelers were back in the lab, as head coach Mike Tomlin would say, preparing for the Chicago Bears in Week 3 action. As the team prepares to head to Soldier Field on Sunday, their injury report was anything but conclusive.

There were some big names on the injury report, and an illness also seems to be running through the locker room.

But first, the headliners:

Tackle Marcus Gilbert, who suffered a hamstring injury in Week 2 vs. Minnesota, did not participate in the first practice of the week. Anticipating perhaps not having Gilbert at their disposal, the team moved Chris Hubbard to tackle, and they’ll need an emergency plan if Gilbert cannot play.

Joining Gilbert on the sidelines were Jesse James and Ben Roethlisberger, but the two were quite different in terms of their status. Roethlisberger was given a veterans day off while James is nursing a sore ankle, injured after the first play from scrimmage vs. the Vikings.

Rookie stud T.J. Watt (groin), Bud Dupree (shoulder) and Stephon Tuitt (biceps) all had limited participation and they’ll likely see their workloads ramp up as the week progresses, barring any setbacks.

The good news was safety J.J. Wilcox, who suffered a concussion in Week 1, was released from the NFL’s concussion protocol and was a full participant in practice.

As for the locker room illness, Alejandro Villanueva suffered from this bug last week, and it has apparently spread to a couple of other players in the locker room. Maurkice Pouncey and Darrius Heyward-Bey were the latest to become sick, and were likely sent home to avoid spreading the illness further.

Below is the full injury report:

Pittsburgh

DID NOT PARTICIPATE
T Marcus Gilbert (Hamstring)
WR Darrius Heyward-Bey (Illness)
TE Jesse James (Ankle)
C Maurkice Pouncey (Illness)
QB Ben Roethlisberger (Not Injury Related)

LIMITED PARTICIPATION
LB Bud Dupree (shoulder)
DE Stephon Tuitt (Biceps)
LB T.J. Watt (Groin)

FULL PARTICIPATION
S J.J. Wilcox (Concussion)

Stay connected here at BTSC for the latest on the injuries facing the Steelers and Bears heading into Week 3.