Stephon Tuitt, the injured player no one is talking about, is recovering on schedule

The Pittsburgh Steelers fan base has been enthralled with a key injury to the team heading into the 2020 regular season. That would be the throwing elbow of one Mr. Ben Roethlisbeger.

Naturally, the focus is on the quarterback, considering how important the position is to winning in today’s NFL, but let’s not be so short-sighted to forget about another key player who is coming off his own season-ending injury.

That would be none other than Stephon Tuitt, whose season ended early due to a torn pectoral muscle. The injury landed him on injured reserve, and wasn’t the first time Tuitt’s time on the field has been cut short due to injury, and Steelers fans watched what looked like a promising season end prematurely.

Tuitt is a force, when healthy, and entering 2020 if the Steelers lose Javon Hargrave to free agency, Tuitt will need to be available for the defense to maintain the level they reached during the 2019 season.

So, how is Tuitt’s rehabilitation going? Missi Mathews of Steelers.com talked with General Manager Kevin Colbert at the NFL Scouting Combine and Tuitt was a topic of conversation.

See what Colbert had to say about Tuitt’s progress heading into 2020:

“Yeah, Tuitt was totally on schedule during the season. Again, he should be full-go as we enter into the offseason phase of football. But again, we will be careful with that, you know, get him throw the coaching sessions, the OTAs, the minicamps and then into camp because he is coming off an injury. But there shouldn’t be any setbacks.”

The Steelers might lose Hargrave, but if Tuitt can stay healthy he will cover up the loss of the man they call “Gravedigger” and prove he can be a dominant defensive end in the league alongside another dominant defensive end in Cameron Heyward.

When you think about the potential of those two players being on the field together, and it opening up possibilities for players like T.J. Watt and/or Bud Dupree you see just how dominant the defensive front can be in 2020.

To see the entire interview with Kevin Colbert at the Combine, see the video below where he not only talks about Tuit, but Ben Roethlisberger, Bud Dupree and of course the Combine.

Be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the black-and-gold as they press on throughout the 2020 offseason and prepare for the NFL Free Agency and the 2020 NFL Draft.