Steelers get some good injury news heading into the preseason finale Sunday

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been a fortunate team as it pertains to injuries this preseason. This isn’t to suggest the team hasn’t dealt with injuries, every team in the NFL has had their share of injuries, but the Steelers’ have been of the short term variety.

For those who are superstitious, I just knocked on wood.

Monday the Steelers got back to practice after their 16-15 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 2 of the NFL Preseason, and when they returned they received some good news on the injury front.

The biggest name who returned to practice was defensive captain Cam Heyward. After having his ankle rolled up on last week prior to the Jacksonville game, Heyward returned to practice and told reporters he was good to go.

Whether Heyward plays this Sunday vs. the Detroit Lions in the preseason finale at Acrisure Stadium will ultimately be Mike Tomlin’s decision, but don’t put it past the All-Pro to want to get some repetitions before the regular season begins.

Another player many fans have been itching to see play is Calvin Austin III. Austin injured his foot days before the team’s first preseason game vs. the Seattle Seahawks, and it looks as if the foot is on the mend. He told reporters the foot “is feeling great” and he is waiting for Tomlin to give him the green light to return to the field.

But not all injury news was positive for the Steelers. Two players missed practice Monday with separate injuries. Inside linebacker Devin Bush missed practice with an ankle injury, and Joe Haeg is officially in the NFL’s concussion protocol.

The severity of Bush’s ankle injury wasn’t known, but should be something to watch as the team prepares to finish the preseason on a high note this Sunday at 4:30pm. As for Haeg, he will start to work his way back to the field once he doesn’t experience any concussion-like symptoms.

The Steelers don’t practice Tuesday, so the next injury update will come on Wednesday when they return to work at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. In the meantime, be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and notes surrounding the Steelers as they wrap up the preseason and prepare for the regular season.