The Steelers designated left guard Kevin Dotson to return from the injured reserve list on Wednesday.
Dotson has been sidelined since suffering a right high ankle sprain in the team’s Week 10 tie with the Detroit Lions.
With his return to practice, the team has 21 days to decide whether or not to activate Dotson from the IR. If they do not after the 21 days, he must remain on IR for the remainder of the season.
Of course, with just three weeks left in the season, it seems unlikely the Steelers would have designated Dotson to return without expecting him to.
The second-year guard could provide a boost to the offensive line. With backups J.C. Hassenauer, B.J. Finney and Joe Haeg also unavailable, first-year former undrafted free agent John Leglue has started each of the last two games.
With Dotson in the lineup, Steelers running back Najee Harris has averaged 3.67 yards per carry. Without Dotson, that figure has fallen to 3.36.