UNITY TWP., Pa. — Nate Herbig was held out of practice with a shoulder injury, but the Pittsburgh Steelers are getting healthier as they move toward their second week of preseason football.
Herbig suffered a shoulder injury in Sunday’s practice and said before Tuesday’s session that he’s working his way back to health, but was held out of practice on Tuesday.
Defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi (foot/ankle), safety Tre Norwood (calf) and linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski (shoulder) also did not practice on Tuesday. Head coach Mike Tomlin said he gave outside linebacker Markus Golden the day off and that Ogunjobi is “moving closer” to a return. The Steelers suffered no new injuries, Tomlin reported, and have a number of players rounding into health.
“Things are moving in the right direction,” Tomlin said. “We’re getting more participation from some of those guys missed time — [Keeanu] Benton, [Joey] Porter Jr., the two safeties, [Damontae] Kazee and [Keanu] Neal. It’s reasonable to expect those things to continue. As we get closer to game time, we’ll look closer than at how we divide the labor up, who plays and how much they play.”
Keeanu Benton was limited in practice on Tuesday after missing Sunday’s session with an ankle injury suffered in the preseason opener on Friday.
Joey Porter Jr., also dealing with an ankle injury, was limited for the second straight practice session. He said after practice that he hopes to play in the second preseason game against the Buffalo Bills this Saturday at Acrisure Stadium.
Safety Keanu Neal was a full participant for the first time on Tuesday, working in team drills and as part of the Steelers’ three-safety heavy Nickel package.
Outside linebacker Toby Ndukwe practiced after leaving Sunday’s session late with an undisclosed issue.
In addition to the injuries, Steelers defensive captain Cam Heyward returned to practice after missing the preseason game and Sunday’s workout with an illness.
STEELERS INJURY REPORT
Player | Injury | Date | Prognosis | Roster Status |
G Nate Herbig | Shoulder | Aug. 13 | Undisclosed | Active, DNP Aug. 13 |
OLB Toby Ndukwe | Hand/wrist | Aug. 13 | Undisclosed | Active, FP Aug. 13 |
ILB Nick Kwiatkoski | Right shoulder | Aug. 11 | Undisclosed | Active, DNP Aug. 13 |
NT Keeanu Benton | Left ankle | Aug. 11 | Day to day | Active, LP Aug. 13 |
DT Larry Ogunjobi | Right foot/ankle | Aug. 9 | Undisclosed | Active, DNP Aug. 13 |
DB Tre Norwood | Right calf | Aug. 6 | Day to day | Active, DNP Aug. 13 |
CB Joey Porter Jr. | Left ankle | Aug. 5 | Day to day | Active, LP Aug. 13 |
S Keanu Neal | Undisclosed | Aug. 2 | Day to day | Active, FP Aug. 13 |
CB Duke Dawson | Left knee | Aug. 11 | Undisclosed | Waived/injured |
LB Chapelle Russell II | Knee | Aug. 11 | Undisclosed | Injured reserve |
WR Ja’Marcus Bradley | Hamstring | Aug. 4 | Day to day | Injured reserve |
CB Cory Trice | Right knee | Aug. 1 | Out for season | Injured reserve |
RB Alfonzo Graham | Torn right labrum | July 29 | Out for season | Injured reserve |
DT Renell Wren | Torn right Achilles tendon | May 17 | Out for season | Injured reserve |