The Pittsburgh Steelers are 2-2 through the first four games of the 2026 regular season, and the team currently sits in third place in the AFC North. While it has been a bumpy ride to begin new head coach Mike McCarthy's first season in Pittsburgh, he has the team at .500 through four games, which is nothing to be too upset about. However, the Steelers are starting to get banged up as injuries are becoming a problem for the Steelers and a ton of other teams around the NFL.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
DeShon Elliott takes a moment during a regular season game for the Steelers against the Minnesota Vikings in Dublin, Ireland in 2025.
Injuries have occurred during the first four games of the year, but safety DeShon Elliott has been working his way back from an injury that occurred in the middle of the 2025 season. During a game against the Green Bay Packers, he hyperextended his knee, but he also suffered a serious hamstring injury that required surgery. He returned for training camp and played during a preseason game, but he was surprisingly placed on Injured Reserve (IR) to begin the 2026 season.
On Thursday it was announced by McCarthy that the Steelers would be opening up Elliott's 21-day practice window, which means he has to be activated at some point during that time frame.
Coach McCarthy said they have started DeShon Elliot’s 21-day practice window to return from IR.
— Missi Matthews (@missi_matthews) October 8, 2026
This is good for fans as Elliott will be able to play as early as Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. Nothing is certain as the coaching staff might decide it would be better to give him a full week and a half of practice before taking the field. He participated in training camp and has been rehabbing and working off to the side, so conditioning might not be too much of a problem for the veteran safety. However, this staff has stressed caution, which could mean Elliott may miss another couple of weeks.
Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' DeShon Elliott warms up prior to a practice during Organized Team Activities (OTAs) in 2026.
Elliott landing on IR to begin the regular season was very much a surprise. It was noted that the move was made as a precaution rather than it being made because the safety re-aggravated one of his injuries. He played in one of the preseason games and the coaching staff decided it would be best if he missed the first four games of the regular season, which is what being placed on IR entails.
The safety's return could not come at a better time, even if it takes another week or two. The Steelers are banged up on the backend. Cornerback Jamel Dean is dealing with an ankle sprain while Jalen Ramsey has his wrist in a cast as he is playing. On top of that, Jaquan Brisker's play has been up and down to start the year, and he is constantly grabbing his midsection after making tackles which has made some think he is playing through something. On top of that, the organization traded Joey Porter Jr. The secondary needs some reliability and familiarity, and Elliott brings that.
Steelers Need DeShon Elliott To Return To Form
Elliott was signed by the Steelers back during the 2024 offseason, and he turned out to be a big surprise for Pittsburgh. He played at an extremely high level during the 2024 season, and he was doing the same in 2025 before suffering a season-ending injury. In 2024 he was a tackling machine as he recorded over 100 total takedowns, four of which came behind the line of scrimmage. He also recorded an interception and forced two fumbles. Pittsburgh needs that version of Elliott back desperately. Hopefully, he is the same player he was before he went down in 2025.
The Steelers are opening DeShon Elliott’s 21-day window. Hearing the Week 7 game in Paris is the current target for a return.
— Mike DeFabo (@MikeDeFabo) October 8, 2026
A return against the Colts on Sunday would be massive after the Steelers struggled with tackling in Week 4. Tackling is probably the best part of Elliott's game, and the defense is going to need some sure tacklers on the field when facing Jonathan Taylor. However, it sounds like that might be out of the question based on the report above from Mike DeFabo.
What do you think about Elliott potentially returning soon? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!
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