Steelers place two offensive starters on the Reserve/COVID-19 List

The Pittsburgh Steelers are continuing to deal with Covid issues going into their final contest of the 2021 regular season. After placing cornerback Joe Haden on the Reserve/COVID-19 List on Wednesday, the Steelers have placed wide receiver Diontae Johnson and center Kendrick Green on the list on Thursday.

Although he did not appear in the Steelers Week 17 win over the Cleveland Browns on Monday due to a lingering calf injury, Kendrick Green did start the first 15 games of the season for the Steelers at center. Being a limited participate in practice on Wednesday, it was unclear if Green was going to get the nod in Week 17 or if J.C. Hassenauer would get his second-straight start at center. With Green going on the Vovid list and being unavailable to practice, Hassenauer should get the start on Sunday against the Ravens.

A big loss for the Steelers going into Baltimore is wide receiver Diontae Johnson. Leading the Steelers in receiving with 1,110 yards on 100 receptions, Johnson also has the most receiving touchdowns on the team with eight. Johnson also missed the Steelers Week 3 matchup this season due to injury.

While it is not impossible for players to clear the Covid protocol in time for Sunday’s game with the new procedures implemented recently, it is still very unlikely that they can be available on such a quick turnaround. It has not been reported at this time exactly what put these players on the list, when their tests were conducted, or the reason they were tested. If any of the players placed on the Covid List this week were due to experiencing symptoms, clearing the protocol before Sunday’s game would be out of the question.

An additional transaction the Steelers announced was restoring defensive tackle Daniel Archibong to the practice squad from the Practice Squad/COVID-19 List.

Stay tuned to Behind The Steel Curtain as the Steelers continue the preparation to face the Ravens in Baltimore this Sunday.