Steelers Injury Updates
Steelers Injury Updates: Mike Hilton Set to Return Sunday
The Pittsburgh Steelers defense will get a significant boost this weekend, as slot cornerback Mike Hilton will make his triumphant return against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday after missing the last four games with a shoulder injury.
Hilton led the Steelers with 27 tackles when he initially suffered the injury in the Week 6 win over Cleveland. He also has three sacks, an interception and a fumble recovery on the year.
Pittsburgh will also return defensive end Isaiah Buggs (ankle) who was absent for last week’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals. He originally aggravated the ankle injury two weeks ago at Dallas.
Both players were full participants for the entire week of practice ahead of Pittsburgh’s trip to Jacksonville.
Running back Anthony McFarland is also set to be available Sunday. He missed the Bengals game and a pair of practices last week with an illness.
The Steelers will be without running backs Jaylen Samuels (quadricep) and Trey Edmunds (hamstring), and linebacker Jayrone Elliot (illness) on Sunday. All three players missed the entire week of practice.
Tight end Vance McDonald and guard Kevin Dotson are also expected to be unavailable Sunday, as they both remain on the Reserve/COVID-19 list and have not been activated to this point.
As for the Jaguars, rookie wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. (hamstring) and tight end James O’Shaughnessy (knee) are both listed out for Sunday.
Wide receiver Collin Johnson (hamstring) and cornerback Sidney Jones IV (Achilles) are both listed as questionable.
Quarterback Gardner Minshew II is also questionable after missing the last two weeks with a right thumb injury. He has been limited in practice the last three days.
If Minshew is unable to return, rookie Jake Luton is expected to once again start in his place.
PITTSBURGH — Steelers rookie linebacker Alex Highsmith suffered an ankle injury that will require an MRI in Sunday’s playoff loss to the Cleveland Browns.
Highsmith left the game in the first half and was seen limping on the Pittsburgh sideline. He made an attempt to return to the game, but was unable to continue playing and did not see the field at all in the second half.
In-game, the Steelers announced that Highsmith was doubtful to return with an ankle injury. After the fact, head coach Mike Tomlin said that Highsmith suffered a high ankle sprain. Highsmith’s father posted on Twitter early on Monday morning that Highsmith will require an MRI on his injured ankle.
Not the way we wanted the season to end but I am thankful to have been a part of this amazing ride! The Highsmith Family is proud to wear the Black & Gold and we look forward to more success in the future! Please pray for Alex as he gets an MRI tomorrow on his ankle! #HereWeGo pic.twitter.com/JJA4PpZpvx
— Sam Highsmith (@SHighsmithClan) January 11, 2021
Given that Highsmith was able to walk and even run in short bursts after the injury, it does not seem likely that it will impact his offseason training plans.
The team’s third-round draft pick out of Charlotte, Highsmith was thrust into a starting role after starting outside linebacker Bud Dupree suffered an ACL injury that required surgery.
On the season, Highsmith played in 16 regular season game and made five starts. He finished with 48 tackles, five for a loss, six quarterback hits, one interception and one pass defended.
With Dupree set to become an unrestricted free agent and unlikely to return, Highsmith should be expected to retain his starting role in 2021.
PITTSBURGH — Steelers outside linebacker Alex Highsmith has left the team’s Wild Card Round playoff game against the Cleveland Browns with an ankle injury and is doubtful to return, the team announced.
Highsmith suffered the injury in the first half and attempted to return to play, but was unable to continue.
He was replaced on the field by a combination of third-year backup Ola Adeniyi and Cassius Marsh, who was signed from the Indianapolis practice squad in December.
Highsmith had been replacing starter Bud Dupree, who was lost for the season to an ACL injury.
In the regular season, Highsmith appeared in all 16 games and made five starts. He had two sacks, five tackles for loss, one interception and one pass defended.
The rookie out of Charlotte was the Steelers’ third-round selection in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Steelers Injury Updates
Steelers Injury Updates: JuJu Smith-Schuster Practiced Fully Friday, Chris Boswell Limited
The Pittsburgh Steelers are relatively healthy entering their opening round playoff matchup with the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, as only kicker Chris Boswell was listed on the team’s injury report as being less than a full participant in practice on Friday.
Boswell was limited on Friday as he continues to recover from the groin injury that has forced him to miss the last two games. He was also limited on Wednesday, but was a full participant during Thursday’s session.
Wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee) returned to the practice field Friday after sitting out on Thursday. He had practiced fully on Wednesday as well, but was newly added yesterday.
Defensive end Isaiah Buggs (illness) was also added to the injury report Thursday, but was a full participant on Friday.
Safety Terrell Edmunds (shoulder), cornerback Steven Nelson (knee), nose tackle Tyson Alualu (ankle) and linebacker Vince Williams (quad) were all full participants during Friday’s practice session as well, positioning the Steelers to be healthy heading into Sunday’s playoff game against the Browns.
