Steelers Injury Report: 5 players miss practice on Thursday

The Pittsburgh Steelers exited Monday night’s game with a victory as well as with some players dealing with some “bumps and bruises associated with play.” As the Steelers took the practice field for their second official day of preparation for the Atlanta Falcons, there were five players who did not participate while four were limited. In the second injury report of the week courtesy of the Steelers PR Department, two new names showed up on the list but only one was due to injury.

Steelers PR Department

The most significant injury which happened in-game on Monday night was running back Najee Harris leaving just before halftime with an abdominal injury. With no update in regards to Harris by Mike Tomlin at his Tuesday press conference due to the quick turnaround from playing on Monday night, the expectations for Harris are still foggy. On Wednesday, Harris was one of the two players who did not participate in practice. As for Thursday, Harris was still unable to take the field for practice.

After coming back to play in Week 8 after missing four games, Ahkello Witherspoon found himself missing another three games with his hamstring injury in Week 10 through Week 12. On both Wednesday and Thursday, Witherspoon was still unable to practice.

Another player who missed Monday’s game was running back Jaylen Warren with a hamstring injury. As the Steelers took the practice field on Wednesday, it was reported that Warren has been cleared to return and expects to play on Sunday. On Wednesday, not only did Warren return, he was a full participant. On Thursday Warren followed it up by practicing fully again and is on track to be in the lineup for Sunday’s game.

Two more players who missed Monday’s game even though they were only questionable going into the contest were Robert Spillane with a back injury (now listed as an oblique) and Miles Boykin with an oblique injury. On Wednesday, Boykin returned as a full participant while Spillane was able to practice in a limited capacity. On Thursday, both players held the same status as a Boykin was a full participant while Spillane was limited.

At Mike Tomlin‘s press conference on Tuesday, he listed several players that were dealing with some minor issues that could limit them early in the week. Those specifically mentioned were Minkah Fitzpatrick (ribs), T.J. Watt (ribs), Larry Ogunjobi (toe), and Myles Jack (knee). On Wednesday, all four players were able to practice in a limited capacity. Thursday saw Minkah Fitzpatrick return as a full participant while T.J. Watt was once again limited. Both Myles Jack and Larry Ogunjobi did not practice on Thursday after being limited on Wednesday. It should be noted that Wednesday’s practice was reportedly very light due to the Steelers playing on Monday night.

One more player who is listed on the injury report is center Mason Cole as he was limited with a foot injury. Last week, Cole was unable to practice early in the week yet still was able to play in the game. Starting the week off as limited rather than not participating was a good sign towards Cole‘s participation on Sunday. Cole followed up the first practice by once again being a limited making Friday’s practice key to his availability.

There were two new players on the injury report on Thursday with Cam Heyward getting his typical day of rest. The other player was running back and Benny Snell who was limited with a knee injury. It isn’t clear at this time if Snell was injured during practice.

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

Atlanta Falcons Participation/Injury Report, Week 13

Thursday, December 1

OLB Arnold Ebiketie (Forearm) - LP

DL Jalen Dalton (Toe) - LP

OL Chuma Edoga (Knee) - DNP