Steelers expect to have a clean bill of health heading into Week 1 vs. the Bills

The Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing for the Buffalo Bills in Week 1, and considering the team has had off for almost two weeks, you would think they’d have a clean bill of health prior to their trip to Orchard Park.

After placing the likes of Stephon Tuitt, Anthony McFarland Jr. and Zach Banner on injured reserve (IR), the Steelers were hopeful to have everyone who is on the 53-man roster healthy and available to play in Buffalo Sunday.

When Mike Tomlin met with media for his weekly press conference Tuesday, he detailed the injury situation, and it was pretty simple. With those aforementioned players being placed on IR, Tomlin said he expects the Steelers to have all players on the active 53-man roster to be full participants in practice Wednesday.

Wednesday doesn’t just mark the first day of the work week for the Steelers, but also the first injury report of the regular season. While Tomlin says he hopes the team has full participation, the true indicator of the team’s health will be when the team has their first reported injury list after Wednesday’s practice.

That wasn’t the only news from Tomlin, as it pertains to injuries. Tomlin was asked about the trio of players on IR, and he spoke about how each player individually.

In Zach Banner’s situation, he said Banner didn’t suffer a setback, but how some players come back from major injuries, like a torn ACL, at different times. In this case, it is taking Banner longer than expected. Tomlin went on to talk about how early in the process, it was Banner who was helping linebacker Devin Bush get up to speed, but at this point Banner just isn’t ready for game action.

As for Stephon Tuitt, Tomlin called Tuitt’s knee injury as disappointing, and he is hoping to have Tuitt return back to the team sooner, rather than later.

Lastly, Tomlin didn’t have much information on Anthony McFarland, saying he focuses on the players who are available to them.

All three players will have to miss at least three games before they can return to the team, so these players will be given that time to get their health right. Otherwise, the Steelers are at full strength, from a health standpoint, heading into the Week 1 showdown with the Bills.

Be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they prepare for their first action of the 2021 regular season.

For more information on Mike Tomlin’s press conference, check out the podcast below:

If you want to watch Mike Tomlin’s press conference, you can do so below: