Steelers seemingly dodged a pair of bullets on offense after new update surrounding two key weapons for QB Aaron Rodgers
The Pittsburgh Steelers offense desperately needs all the help it can get right now, and Wednesday’s practice provided some welcome news on two players who had Steelers fans holding their breath.
The Pittsburgh Steelers may have dodged a couple of bullets on the offensive side of the ball. After a brutal showing on Sunday, Pittsburgh received encouraging injury updates on running back Rico Dowdle and wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. on Wednesday, giving an offense that mustered just three points some reason for cautious optimism heading into the week.
Rico Dowdle’s injury not as bad as feared
The Dowdle situation had all the makings of a worst-case scenario. He was hurt during Sunday’s game, returned, then left again on a cart. That sequence rarely ends well.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, however, the news was far better than expected:
“Steelers running back Rico Dowdle, who was carted to the locker room on Sunday following a toe injury, checked out to be relatively okay following tests. He is considered to be day-to-day.”
Dowdle was seen in a walking boot and not participating during Wednesday’s practice, so his availability for this week remains uncertain at best, but day-to-day is a far cry from week-to-week or month-to-month. For a Steelers backfield that needs all of its weapons, that qualifies as good news.
Pittsburgh will need its offensive line to hold up its end of the bargain in both pass protection and the run game if Dowdle, Jaylen Warren, or anyone else is going to create yardage on the ground. That remains a separate issue entirely.
Michael Pittman Jr. returns to practice
The other encouraging development came in the wide receiver room. Despite missing Sunday’s game, Pittman was back at practice on Wednesday, per HC Mike McCarthy via Nick Farabaugh.
The Steelers’ offense clearly needs as much help as it can get on the perimeter. Germie Bernard did an incredible job filling in for Pittman on Sunday, and in my opinion, Bernard should be in the lineup regardless. The way I see it, Pittsburgh’s three wide receivers should be DK Metcalf (if he learns how to catch the football again), Pittman, and Bernard, because this offense cannot separate to save its life on the outside. They need as much juice as they can get.
Pittman might not be a vertical stretch player, but he is a reliable possession target and someone who can go up and get the football. For an offense searching for answers, that matters.
The bottom line is that the Steelers got relatively good news out of their facility on Wednesday. Two key offensive pieces appear to have skirted major injuries, and for a unit that scored three points on Sunday, that counts for something.
