Steelers WR Eli Rogers suffers torn ACL in playoff loss

The 45-42 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars was bad enough, but the Pittsburgh Steelers also lost a wide receiver in the game when Eli Rogers went down towards to end of the game.

After the game, nothing was mentioned about his injury, but it is now being reported Rogers suffered a torn ACL.

While this certainly is unfortunate, it has some major ramifications on Rogers’ career, and overall readiness to play in 2018.

Rogers is set to be a Restricted Free Agent next season, meaning he could be courted by another team, but now he would be considered damaged goods.

When you see athletes suffer injuries like this late in the season, it is a double-edged sword considering how long the rehabilitation process takes. For an ACL injury, the recovery is still considered 6-9 months for a full recovery, which would push Rogers’ return back to near the time the team usually reports to Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.

A tough blow to a player who played a tremendous game vs. the Jaguars. Rogers finished the day with 5 catches, on 5 targets, for 42-yards. For the season Rogers’ numbers decreased dramatically due to the emergence of JuJu Smith-Schuster, but he finished the year with 18 receptions, 149-yards and 1 touchdown in 14 games played.

Here is to hoping for a speedy recovery for Rogers this offseason!