The Pittsburgh Steelers have only ruled out return man and wide receiver, Steven Sims with a hamstring ailment for their upcoming Week 7 matchup against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday Night Football.
Steelers rule Steven Sims out. I’d guess that means Gunner Olsezwski will back to handling punt returner duties.
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) October 21, 2022
CB Ahkello Witherspoon (hamstring) is doubtful, and CB James Pierre (hip) is questionable pic.twitter.com/nlWc6bPOkV
Sims took the job away from 2020 All-Pro special teams man, Gunner Olszewski in Week 6 after the former New England Patriot struggled in the first five weeks. Sims returned three kicks for 112 yards including an 89-yarder to start the second half in the Steelers' Week 6 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. ESPN's Brooke Pryor speculated that it will be Olszewski getting the return job back in Sims' abscence.
The Steelers' secondary got good news on Friday with Cam Sutton, Levi Wallace, and Minkah Fitzpatrick all practicing fully. Ahkello Witherspoon is still dealing with a hamstring injury and is doubtful for Sunday's contest. James Pierre is listed as questionable with hip/knee issues.
While the secondary might not have to deal with a quarterback like Josh Allen or Tom Brady this week, the defense will be tasked with slowing down a pair of top five receivers in Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.
Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth catches a pass from Kenny Pickett. - Matt Pendleton-USA TODAY Sports
The biggest news for Pittsburgh on the offensive side of the ball is that Kenny Pickett and Pat Freiermuth have cleared concussion protocol and carry no injury designation for the game.
Pittsburgh has some other players listed after Friday's practice dealing with various ailments, but were all full participants and should be ready to roll in Miami.
While the list may look long, most of the Pittsburgh injuries are not serious enough to knock them out for the game on Sunday.
So, Steeler Nation, do you think the injuries will slow the Steelers down this week? Are you excited to see the return of Pat Freiermuth and Kenny Pickett? As always, let us know what you're thinking either on our social media feeds or in the comment section down below.
#SteelerNation
