By: G.Stryker
Joe Haden is back! Will his return be enough to repair the broken defense? I’m not sure, but it will go a long way to helping them perform better against the pass. Joining Haden on the path to wellness are Ramon Foster and Tyson Alualu who both practiced fully all week.
Morgan Burnett, David DeCastro, and Marcus Gilbert are all listed as doubtful. DeCastro still is dealing with a broken hand, and now it appears as though he can’t play with a brace. Bones take 6-8 weeks to heal, so he may be out until the bye week. Hopefully he comes back before then. Gilbert and Burnett are both ailing from hamstrings. Gilbert injured his last week in the game, and Burnett has been nursing this injury since training camp. He may have re-injured it last game.
I track and try to predict timelines for returning to the field, for all Steeler players. This is a link to our current spreadsheet. It will get updated on Wed, Thu, and Fri after the practice reports are issued. Bookmark it to see how the health of the Steelers is shaping up each week.
I believe the inactive players will be:
- Mason Rudolph: Healthy Scratch/ 3rd QB
- Morgan Burnett: Doubtful so he probably won’t play
- David DeCastro: Doubtful so he probably won’t play
- Marcus Gilbert: Doubtful so he probably won’t play
- Justin Hunter: He was inactive last week, and James Washington had about the same production plus James plays special teams.
- Artie Burns: With Haden playing, one of the CBs should be inactive. Usually it is Coty Sensabaugh, but since he's getting first team reps, Artie could be the surprise addition to the inactive list.
- LT Walton: The defensive line is healthy, and LT was inactive week 1, I predict he’ll be inactive again this week
After getting 6/7 correct for the past 2 weeks, my predictions are 12/14 on the year.
Edit: 9/23/18 1pm swapped Artie Burns for Coty Sensabaugh
