Steelers Injury Report: Akelllo Witherspoon unable to practice again on Thursday

The Pittsburgh Steelers had a number of injuries coming out of their Week 3 defeat, many of which were not known until Mike Tomlin’s press conference on Tuesday. As the Steelers take the practice field for their second official day of preparation for the New York Jets, there was one new player added to the report. In the second injury report of the week courtesy of the Steelers PR department, two players were unable to practice.

Steelers PR Department

What many had believed to be the most significant injury on the list was the concussion to All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. Tuesday was the first time any issue with Fitzpatrick was reported. Having the extra few days with the Steelers playing on Thursday night looks like it may be enough for Fitzpatrick to get on the field Sunday. The first step is for Fitzpatrick is to be symptom free and then get on the field and increase his activities without symptoms. On Wednesday, Fitzpatrick was a full participant which was a great sign for him moving forward. On Thursday, Fitzpatrick was once again a full participant which is a great sign for him being able to play this week.

An injury that was known coming out of last Thursday’s game was the hamstring issue with Ahkello Witherspoon which kept him off the field throughout the fourth quarter. For the first two practices of the week, Witherspoon was unable to take the field and is not looking good for Sunday.

Another injury to keep an eye on is that of punter Pressley Harvin who is dealing with hip inflammation. In order to make sure the Steelers have all their bases covered, they signed Jordan Berry to the practice squad on Tuesday. In Wednesday’s and Thursday’s practice, Harvin was able to participate fully.

Another player mentioned by Coach Tomlin in Tuesday’s press conference was Kevin Dotson dealing with an ankle injury. Having it be an ankle which cost him a portion of the 2021 season as well as this preseason, it’s uncertain at this time if it is a re-aggravation of the same injury or a new issue. regardless of if it is a new injury or not, it appears to be a moot point as Dotson has been able to practice both Wednesday and Thursday in a full capacity.

The new player added to the injury list on Thursday was defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi. Steelers fan have no need to alarm with Ogunjobi‘s absence as he was listed as being not injury related and simply getting rest.

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

New York Jets Participation/Injury Report, Week 4

Thursday, September 29

LB Quincy Williams (Ankle) - DNP
CB Brandin Echols (Hamstring) - LP
DL John Franklin-Myers (Toe) - FP
QB Zach Wilson (Knee) - FP