by The Steelers continued their preparations for Monday night’s game against the New York Giants, and once again several players were missing from the field.
Center Zach Frazier continues to battle an ankle injury that has prevented him from practicing this week, leaving Ryan McCollum in the spotlight at the center position for the second straight week.
The line has been the area of the team hit hardest by injuries this season, with five different starting lineup combinations in seven games.
They could have easily given up given all the injuries, but instead they did the opposite.
“It just shows how deep our entire team is, how good it is and how much of a team we have right now for these guys to be able to step up for the guys that are so hurt,” said running back Najee Harris, who has two straight 100-yard plays behind the line. “Guys come in there and play and these guys never thought they had a chance early on and the tide turns so quickly and they are put in a position where they have to help us win.”
“The last two weeks have shown how good our team is and I think it is a credit to them for the success we are having locally. I always say, I take my hat off to them, Coach Pat (Meyer) and everyone in the room for helping all of us.
Linebacker Alex Highsmith returned to the lineup last week against the Jets and said he felt even closer to 100 percent this week. This is a good sign as Nick Herbig, their full-back, is still not training due to his hamstring injury.
“I definitely feel like I came through well,” Highsmith said of the Jets’ game. “Definitely quite painful because I haven’t played for a few weeks.
“I feel like I’ve achieved almost 100 percent. It feels great to be back out there and with the boys. I look forward to getting better every week. Just keep up the rehab and stay current so nothing else happens.” “
Linebacker Tyler Matakevich continues to work toward returning to action after returning to practice this week for the first time since being placed on the reserve/injured list.
“It felt so good,” Matakevich said of practicing again. “I definitely lost it a little bit towards the end, I missed being out there and all the guys having fun and making plays. It just feels great.”
“We are on the way there. We just take it day by day and try to get back to where we were. And that’s all you can do in this situation. It felt really great to be back out there and have a helmet on and stuff.”
Matakevich, who has been a special teams star throughout his career, said he would like to get back in the mix, especially given the way special teams has been flourishing lately.
“You definitely get that itch,” Matakevich said. “I feel like I have to get back out there. Just watching the boys fly around and play does nothing but put a smile on my face because that’s what I love.”
“I just want to be out there with them. That’s the only thing missing.”
Receiver Roman Wilson also continues to be affected by his hamstring injury. Wilson did not play for the first five weeks of the season after suffering an ankle injury in camp.
He returned for the Week 6 game against the Las Vegas Raiders and saw limited action and no targets.
Wilson injured his hamstring in practice before the Jets’ Week 7 game and was inactive.
His status for this Monday has yet to be determined, but he has not practiced for the past two days.
“He missed some practice time because of the hammy,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “And since we’ve talked repeatedly, Roman needs to make me really think about him. His participation was somehow jeopardized last week. And when it was actually at risk, I continued.”
The Steelers added some depth at receiver on Friday, using their open spot on the practice squad to sign Andy Isabella. Isabella is in his sixth NFL season after being drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, the 62nd overall selection. Isabella spent time with the Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills, appearing in 41 games, including three starts. He has 33 receptions for 447 yards and three touchdowns, including an 88-yard touchdown in his rookie season.
The full injury report is below.
