Injury Report: Mike Tomlin issues big injury report ahead of Saturday’s game.

The Steelers began their preparation for Saturday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens, with injuries once again a hot topic. The team held a walkthrough, so the report is just an estimation.

This week’s game is one with playoff implications on the line for the Steelers, and with so much on the line, having a healthy team is a key.

A week ago, linebacker Elandon Roberts (pectoral) was already ruled out before the week of practice began, but this week, the outlook is a little better for Roberts, although he was listed as did not practice on Tuesday.

“Elandon Roberts, we’ll play day-by-day and see where it leads us in terms of his availability,” said Coach Mike Tomlin.

And he isn’t the only one in that scenario.

Safeties Minkah Fitzpatrick (knee) and Trenton Thompson (neck), who both missed Sunday’s game against the Seahawks, are also in the day-to-day mindset. Fitzpatrick was listed as did not practice.

“Same with Minkah and Trenton Thompson, don’t really know where we are right now,” said Tomlin. “I’d be speculating.

“We’ll start first with partial participation on all three and check the quality of their participation and maybe it increases or decreases based on what we see day-to-day.
We’ll push through the week the way that we normally do.”

Linebacker T.J. Watt was injured against the Seahawks, but returned to action, and when he spoke, Tomlin didn’t have an update on the defensive player of the year candidate.

“T.J. got hurt late in the game,” said Tomlin. “Hadn’t seen him yet (Monday). Don’t anticipate it being a problem. Maybe it could be problematic at the front part of the week, but I don’t know that it would jeopardize his participation.”

Watt said after practice he will be available on Saturday.

On the quarterback front, Kenny Pickett (ankle) should be available, but Coach Mike Tomlin is sticking with Mason Rudolph as the starter after he led them to consecutive wins.

“I think Kenny’s availability is less in question this week. I anticipate him being available to practice,” said Tomlin. “That being said, we’re going to leave the ball in Mason Rudolph’s hands. He’s done a good job and we’ve done a good job in the most recent two weeks. We’ve taken care of the ball. He’s taken care of the ball. We scored points at a rate in which we hadn’t done to this point this year. With the urgency of the moment and because of those reasons, we’re going to leave the ball in his hands.”

Tomlin said Pickett was cleared to play against Seattle, but it was late in the week which resulted in him being inactive. He was listed as full on Tuesday.

“That clarity didn’t come until later in the week, and it was about the distribution of reps and who was best prepared and positioned to help us win,” said Tomlin. “And so, that’s the direction that we went with.”

Pickett talked about the situation on Tuesday, saying as a competitor he wants to play and explained why he didn’t dress against Seattle.

“If I was healthy enough to play and the coaches and trainers felt I looked good enough, I was going to start,” said Pickett. “If they believed I was not, which they believed I was not, I was not going to dress or suit up for the game. Whoever reported that, I don’t know where it started, it’s kind of crazy what people will put out there, trying to prove their point or help their careers, it’s disappointing to see that without any proof or basis for it.

“This week, I’m now the 2, four weeks out from the surgery. I’ll dress and be the 2 and do what I need to do to be ready for Baltimore.”

When asked how Pickett is handling the situation, Tomlin’s answer is what you would expect about a player who wants to be out there.

“Man, he is a competitor,” said Tomlin. “He wants the football. He wants to play, but at the same time, he’s a team player. So, our agenda is winning football games right now. I’d imagine that’s everyone’s mindset.”

The full injury/practice report is below.