Steelers ILB Ulysees Gilbert III to Miss ‘a Few Weeks’ With Ankle Injury

LATROBE, Pa — Steelers inside linebacker Ulysees Gilbert III will miss ‘a few weeks’ he told Steelers Now. The injury occurred during Saturday’s closed practice during a tackling drill where Gilbert ended up getting rolled up on. On Monday, he was seen donning a walking boot on his right foot.

UG3 with his foot in a boot. Having a good camp. This is a bummer. pic.twitter.com/ZaQ2KenZg3

— Nick Farabaugh (@FarabaughFB) August 8, 2022

“You know, I’ll be out a couple of weeks,” Gilbert said of the injury. “It’s not ideal, but it’s just another obstacle to overcome.”

Gilbert has dealt with back injuries in the past that have sidelined him for periods of the season. Now, with the ankle injury, Gilbert may not practice for the rest of training camp. In fact, it is completely possible he misses the rest of the regular season.

As for what Gilbert is trying to do, he is trying to keep his head up. He was having what was probably the best training camp of his career up to this point. Thus, the ankle injury comes as a blow to Gilbert in a competitive inside linebacker battle. It will open the door for guys like Buddy Johnson, Mark Robinson, and others to potentially get that spot. However, Gilbert is not letting that get him down.

“I know what God has planned for me,” Gilbert said. “I’m going to fight back, go with this rehab, and come back better than ever. I believe in that.”

Gilbert now will take on a supportive coaching role from the sidelines. He was doing much of that today as he saw Johnson have his best day of training camp thus far. While Gilbert realizes this is a business, he is teammate driven and is hoping to see his teammates succeed.

“I understand this is a business, but I am a team-driven guy,” Gilbert said. “You saw what Buddy did today, he was great. I hope we get more days like that.”

Now, GIlbert will look to rehab the injury and hope he can find a roster spot. It appears that the injury will cost him some time, and he may not return until near the start of the regular season.