Steelers Injury Report: Tyson Alualu misses practice Wednesday

The Pittsburgh Steelers exited the 2021 NFL preseason fairly healthy other than three players going on the Reserve/Injured List who are hopeful to return later this season. As the Steelers take the practice field for their first official day of preparation for the Buffalo Bills, there was one player who did not participate while two more limited. In the first injury report of the week courtesy of the Steelers PR department, nose tackle Tyson Alualu did not practice while outside linebacker Alex Highmith and center Kendrick Green were limited.

Steelers PR Department

Before getting into the players appeared on the list, there were two notable players who were not on Wednesday’s injury report. First, outside linebacker T.J. Watt was a full participant in practice for the first time this season as he continues to negotiate his contract.

The other player who was not on Wednesday’s practice report was quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Typically taking Wednesdays off during the regular season, Roethlisberger has not played since the Steelers third preseason game on August 21. After the Steelers had four days off to finish last week and had a bonus practice on Monday, Roethlisberger was a full participant in preparation for Week 1.

Seeing Tyson Alualu on the injury report as not participating will probably strike concern in a number of Steelers fans. With defensive end Stephon Tuitt currently on the Reserve/Injured List, if Alualu is unavailable on Sunday the Steelers defensive line will be down to only one starter in Cameron Heyward. But with it only being the first day of practice this week, the veteran nose tackle does have time to get back on the practice field in order to play on Sunday.

Seeing Alex Highsmith on the injury report is also concerning as the second-year outside linebacker looks to take on his first full season in the starting role. It is unclear whether or not Highsmith was dealing with a nagging injury or if he was injured during practice.

Another concerning development is the limited participation of rookie center Kendrick Green. Dealing with a thumb injury, Green’s ailment could hamper him significantly depending on which hand is dealing with injury. While it is encouraging that Green was at least participating in some way, his overall availability will be dependent on how the week progresses.

As for the Bills’ injury report, you can see the names below courtesy of Steelers.com.

Buffalo Bills Participation/Injury Report, Week 1

Wednesday, September 8

DT Star Lotulelei (Calf) - DNP

CB Taron Johnson (Hand) - Limited

WR Emmanuel Sanders (Foot) - Limited

WR Isaiah McKenzie (Shoulder) - Full

DT Harrison Phillips (Knee) - Full

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