Steelers not closing the door on Chris Boswell participating vs. the Bears

The Pittsburgh Steelers are riding the wave of a three-game winning streak, and their most recent victory being a Week 8 road win over division rivals, the Cleveland Browns. During the game there were injuries, as there always are in the game of football, and none more significant than the concussion sustained by Chris Boswell. As fans remember, Boswell was hit high, and late, on a fake field goal attempt, leaving his availability for the Monday Night Football game vs. the Chicago Bears in jeopardy.

Mike Tomlin, who took full blame for the fake field goal decision, spoke with the media and updated Boswell’s injury status, as well as others.

Tomlin stated the obvious and how Boswell was in the NFL’s official concussion protocol. The Steelers coach said there is nothing that alarms the Steelers about Boswell’s injury, but he also recognized Boswell’s potential return is a process which has to unfold. Lastly, Tomlin talked about how if Boswell is cleared to play, there will be no hesitation for him to be the team’s kicker.

The other injury which was brought up by Tomlin was the hamstring injury to tight end Eric Ebron. Tomlin spoke about how Ebron is working hard to get his hamstring squared away, and his practice participation will indicate if, or when, he will be available to return to the lineup.

After the victory over the Browns, Tomlin mentioned how running back Kalen Ballage had an injury to his ribs, but Ballage was not mentioned by Tomlin during his weekly press conference on Tuesday.

Another player who is mentioned when talking about injuries is tackle Zach Banner. Tomlin was asked about Banner’s health, and Tomlin made it clear Banner is healthy. In fact, he even said Banner has been given full clearance from a health standpoint. So, what is keeping Banner off the field? According to Tomlin, Banner needs to knock the proverbial rust off and show he is capable of being a consistent player who can help the team win.

As for Stephon Tuitt, Tomlin was asked and did say he is remaining on Injured Reserve (IR) but is getting better. In other words, there is no timeline for Tuitt to return from IR and rejoin his teammates on the 53-man active roster.

Be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for the Bears in Week 9 on Monday Night Football.

For a full breakdown of Mike Tomlin’s press conference, check out the BTSC Press Conference Recap podcast below.