Steelers' Ben Skowronek's Injury May Have Been The Result Of Foul Play From The Colts

The Pittsburgh Steelers are in a very rough spot at the wide receiver position. They have two starters currently on Injured Reserve (IR) and Ben Skowronek, one of the primary reserves along with being one of Aaron Rodgers' favorite teammates, is also missing time due to a calf injury that he sustained in Week 5. Their receiver corps in Week 6 was DK Metcalf, a rookie, and two practice squad call-ups. That is expected to be the case again as Pittsburgh travels to Paris for its Week 7 matchup, and both injured starters won't return until at least after the Week 9 bye. 

Things have gotten so dire in Pittsburgh that they brought back Marquez Valdes-Scantling to provide some short-term depth as everyone recovers from their injuries. It's unclear when he will start exactly, but Rodgers does not seem to be too fond of the other practice squad options. Neither Brandon Smith nor Brandon Johnson had a single target in Week 6. 

The Steelers may have to keep fielding these practice squad options due to some foul play. While making an appearance on Steelers Collective, Mark Kaboly explained what happened against the Indianapolis Colts.

"Whatever it was, it was a dirty hit if I recall seeing it," Kaboly said. "It was not something that just popped. I think somebody hit him to cause something."

The game tape shows that Skowronek suffered the injury on a punt. He was lined up as the gunner and beat his man to the inside. He gets taken down by the legs and rolled up on, but it's unclear if that truly was a dirty play by the Colts' player or if he just fell after getting beat clean like that and accidentally rolled into Pittsburgh's special teams ace. Either way, it is a very unfortunate injury for one of the hardest workers on the team. 

Kaboly continued on and gave his take on Skowronek's status for the game in France as he recovers from that injury.

"Those things are a little tricky," Kaboly said. "Depends on what grade it is, calf. I would imagine he's out another week."

Kaboly is not wrong about those kinds of injuries being tricky. Muscle injuries have a tendency to linger as well, so it wouldn't be surprising if Skowronek stays home for the week. 

On top of that, the Steelers may play it safe and hold him out for the Week 8 game against the Cleveland Browns so he can also recover through the bye week and be at or near 100% to start the gauntlet in the back half of the year.

Steelers Have Special Teams Ace Stepping Up In Skowronek's Absence

The Steelers definitely miss Skowronek's ability to do the dirty work as a specialist, but Lew Nichols has been filling his shoes well. The kickoff coverage has not been good, but whenever it does get a big stop, Nichols is there to either make the tackle or slow him down, including on the kickoff after Pittsburgh scored in overtime in Week 6. That ability to cover may earn him a multi-year deal like Skowronek's play did. 

What do you think about Skowronek's injury? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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