Sule Peter Shedrack
Pittsburgh Steelers Injury Report for Week 7 Jets..
The center position is the focus of the Steelers’ injury preparation this week as they continue to get ready for Sunday’s game against the New York Jets.
Rookie center Zach Frazier was categorized as out by Coach Mike Tomlin during his weekly press conference, with Ryan McCollum tabbed as the starter this week.
McCollum spent the last two seasons on the Steelers practice squad, after being claimed off waivers from the Detroit Lions, where he played in 13 games, starting one. This week, McCollum will make his first start in a Steelers uniform.
“I’m very excited,” said McCollum. “I’ve kind of been waiting for it. I’ve been preparing for it for the past four years of my career, so just excited to showcase my talents.”
McCollum, who stepped in last week against the Raiders when Frazier was injured, approaches every week as if he is the starter, but this week he is getting the reps to match the mental approach.
“All the walk throughs, the reps and all the different looks I will be getting,” said McCollum. “When I am not getting them, I just stand in the back and take mental reps because that’s all the reps I’m going to get as a backup. But you’ve got to be ready to go because there can’t be a dip whenever you go in.”
When he went in against the Raiders, there definitely wasn’t a dip. It was a seamless transition, due in large part to that preparation.
“I’ve always looked at it as just you’ve got to prepare like you’re the starter and then if you don’t play, that’s a good thing because nobody got hurt,” said McCollum. “But at the same time, you don’t want to look like a donkey out there if you didn’t prepare and then you’ve got to go out there and play.”
McCollum stepping up is the latest in the next man up mentality on the offensive line.
The team has already had four different starting offensive line combinations this season, which is tied for third most in the NFL.
Compare that to 2023, when the team had four starting offensive line combinations all season and in 2022, when the same line started the entire season.
McCollum will be the ninth different player to start on the offensive line this season.
“We’ve suffered a lot of instability, particularly on the offensive line,” said Tomlin. “We’ve had (four) lineups through six games, and sometimes that affects our ability to maybe start fluidly, that connectedness, that cohesion that comes with continued collective reps.
“But the group, I can’t say enough about their efforts from a large perspective, and their ability to continue to deliver in spite of some of those challenges. We had some of those challenges in-game. Zach Frazier got hurt, and Ryan McCollum went in, and the train kept rolling as another example of that group and the men that coach that group, their resilience and their ability to step up and deliver when things are less than ideal.”
Another player who has been categorized as out by Tomlin for this week in linebacker Nick Herbig. Herbig, who has two and a half sacks this season, suffered a hamstring injury against the Cowboys, forcing him to miss the Raiders game.
With it looking like he will miss his second straight game, the timing is perfect for fellow linebacker Alex Highsmith to be working his way back to playing.
Highsmith has missed the last three games with a groin injury, returning to practice last week on a limited basis, and gradually progressing this week.Highsmith was a full participant in practice on Thursday for the first time since he was injured.
“I feel really good,” said Highsmith. “Very optimistic at this point this week. Just ready to get back out there. I just have to keep getting better.”
Tight end MyCole Pruitt was a full participant for the second consecutive day, but running back Cordarrelle Patterson didn’t practice once again, despite hopes he would get work this week. Receiver Roman Wilson, who was active for the first time this season against the Raiders, was limited on Thursday with a hamstring injury.
The full injury report is below.
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