Steelers Rule Out Nose Tackle vs. Giants
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin ruled out nose tackle Montravius Adams (knee) for Monday night’s game against the New York Giants.
“Mon Adams has sustained a knee injury in-game,” Tomlin said during his weekly Tuesday press conference. “He can be characterized as out for this game.”
Adams suffered a knee injury in the second quarter of Sunday night’s game against the New York Jets. The Steelers dressed six defensive lineman, so Dean Lowry and Isaiahh Loudermilk provided depth behind Cam Heyward, Keeanu Benton and Larry Ogunjobi. The Steelers do not really have another player with extensive nose tackle experience beyond Benton.
Adams was listed on the team’s injury report with a knee injury. Adams was limited in practice on Friday and was questionable to play in Sunday’s game against the Jets. He was upgraded to having no injury designation on Saturday.
The Steelers signed Adams to their active roster off of the New Orleans Saints practice squad on Nov. 29, 2021. In the 2021 season, Adams played in five games for the Saints before being placed on the practice squad and eventually signing with the Steelers.
Center Zach Frazier (ankle) is expected to return after the bye week. Outside linebacker Nick Herbig (hamstring) will miss his third straight game, and like Frazier, is also targeting a post-bye return.
Frazier suffered the left ankle injury in Sunday’s 32-12 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Frazier was blocking on a run play and got rolled up on. Evan Washburn said on the CBS broadcast that Frazier took some snaps with Russell Wilson on the sideline and wanted to go back in, but the medical staff held him out.
Herbig suffered what appeared to be a significant hamstring injury during the Steelers’ Week 6 home loss to the Dallas Cowboys. He has yet to practice since then, missing the Las Vegas Raiders and Jets game.
The Steelers’ fourth-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Wisconsin, Herbig has excelled as a pass rusher in his brief time in a Pittsburgh uniform so far. He has 5.5 sacks and eight tackles for loss in his first 22 professional games.
In his first five games this season, Herbig recorded 2.5 sacks, eight tackles, three tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, forced one fumble and recovered another.
Tomlin said cornerback Donte Jackson (shoulder) and safety Damontae Kazee (ankle) are expected to play on Monday night.
Jackson walked off the field after Jets running back Breece Hall’s second-quarter, 57-yard reception, entered the blue medical tent, and was ruled out by the Steelers with a shoulder injury. James Pierre entered the contest to replace Jackson.
Kazee was originally injured when he stepped on a football and twisted his ankle during warmups before the team’s Week 5 game against the Dallas Cowboys. Kazee was able to play through the injury against Dallas, but swelling prevented him from participating in practice the following week and he was held out of the Steelers’ Week 6 road game against the Las Vegas Raiders and the Jets game.
Tomlin also said linebacker Tyler Matakevich (hamstring) and running back Cordarrelle Patterson (ankle) could return this week. Matakevich was placed on injured reserve after the Week 2 win over the Denver Broncos and Patterson has been out since Week 5.
Alan Saunders provided reporting from Pittsburgh.
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