Steelers Rule Two Starters Out vs. Texans

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers have ruled two starters out for their Week 4 game against the Houston Texans, the club announced on Friday.

Right guard James Daniels and punter Pressley Harvin III will both miss the trip to Houston, despite being able to finish the team’s Week 3 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

Harvin has been dealing with a right hamstring injury. He did not participate in practice this week, but said after practice on Friday that he was hopeful he would still be able to play. That turned out not to be the case.

Daniels also did not practice all week with a groin injury. He was able to play all 62 snaps against the Raiders, but was not able to practice at any point this week.

The Steelers will start veteran backup Nate Herbig in place of Daniels at right guard. Herbig joined the Steelers this March as a free agent and has worked as the top backup at all three of the team’s interior offensive line spots. Seventh-round rookie Spencer Anderson is the team’s other backup center and guard.

Herbig has played in 47 games and made 28 starts in his five-year NFL career with the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Jets. He has been active in each of the team’s first three games, but has played only 10 snaps of special teams, blocking for field goals and extra points.

At punter, the Steelers will turn to Brad Wing. A 32-year-old with four seasons of NFL experience, Wing hasn’t been with an NFL team since 2018, when he was cut by the New York Giants for substance abuse issues.

He resurrected his career in the XFL this spring, when he was a special teams captain for the San Antonio Brahmas and led the league with a 47.8 yards per punt average. He also had a league-best long punt of 72 yards.

Wing will need to be elevated from the practice squad in order to play. He does not need to be added to the 53-man roster and can use one of his three game-day elevations this season. Those moves are typically announced on Saturday.

Four other Steelers players that were limited in practice on Thursday returned to practice in full on Friday. Safety Miles Killebrew (knee), defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi (foot), wide receiver Allen Robinson II (ankle) and tight end Darnell Washington (knee) will all play on Sunday.