On Tuesday Mike Tomlin officially listed safety Mike Mitchell as questionable for Sunday's matchup with the Browns. Mitchell has been dealing with a 'lower body injury', which has been unofficially confirmed as a pulled hamstring.
Mitchell declared last week that he would be ready for the Browns, but the lack of practice could impact him.
"I think it would be fairly arrogant to just assume you can step back out there and play at this level without practice,” Mitchell said, “but I'm hoping that my nine years of preparation and awareness can pay off and help shorten that time.”
On top of the physical requirements, communication and timing could become a problem. Mitchell and Sean Davis played nearly the entire season together last year, but nothing can replace the fact that they haven't had any game action together since January.
If Mitchell isn't able to go by Sunday then the Steelers will turn to Robert Golden. Golden started the season opposite of Mitchell last year before losing the spot to Davis. New safety JJ Wilcox also figures to play, but he could be limited due to him just arriving on Monday.
