Mason Rudolph still in concussion protocol, Jaylen Samuels out a month

While the biggest anticipation for Mike Tomlin‘s press conference on Tuesday was a status report on Mason Rudolph, one of several other injuries which ended up being reported may have longer-lasting implications. Previously unreported, Jaylen Samuels suffered a knee injury Sunday which required a medical procedure on Monday that will keep him out of the lineup for approximately a month.

Samuels had been more involved in the offense the last two weeks after not getting a touch in Week 3. Over the last two games, Samuels has 28 rushing yards on 13 carries with one touchdown. Additionally, Samuels had 68 receiving yards on 11 catches over the same two-game period. It should also be noted Samuels did throw a costly interception against the Baltimore Ravens this past Sunday. In his absence, James Conner will have a heavier workload along with rookie Benny Snell Jr.

As for Mason Rudolph, he is not obviously suffering any major concerning effects following his concussion on Sunday. Coach Tomlin did not want to speculate as to Rudolph’s availability for this Sunday, but he did finish the press conference by saying he was traveling west to go against a Hall-of-Fame-caliber quarterback with the teams third option at the same position. Although that is not a statement of who is starting Sunday, it does go to show the Steelers preparation needs to be focused on Devlin Hodges until more is clarified with Mason Rudolph.

There were several of their injuries which Coach Tomlin brought up, including Mark Barron and James Washington who each left Sunday’s game and we’re not able to return. Both players are considered questionable at this stage of the week with their practice participation being the largest factor in their status.

Another new player to the injury report is cornerback Steven Nelson who is apparently suffering from a groin injury. It is unclear as to the level of his availability, so ending up on the injury report early in the week would not be a surprise.

Once again, player such as Roosevelt Nix and Anthony Chickillo who have missed multiple games will all come down to the practice participation. Surprisingly, Nix has not been ruled out early on for this week as he was in the previous four games.

As what usually occurs when it comes to injured players, practice participation will be the key. Players who are unable to go all week will most likely not play on Sunday as the Steelers will be heading into their bye week following their Sunday night match up with the Los Angeles Chargers.

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