The Pittsburgh Steelers faced the Detroit Lions at Acrisure Stadium on Sunday, and the only concern in a preseason game is always injuries. Especially avoiding those crucial injuries in key players.
During the Steelers 19-9 victory, the team lost several key contributors to injuries. The first player to leave was wide receiver Diontae Johnson, who left with what was termed a shoulder injury. After Johnson’s removal from the game, TJ Watt left the game with a left knee injury.
After those players were ruled out, both were seen on the sidelines without any assistance in street clothes. Most took this as a good sign. After the game, Mike Tomlin spoke about these injuries and said they were not serious. In fact, he also said the two players could have returned if it had been a regular season game.
Coach Mike Tomlin said TJ Watt and Diontae Johnson’s injuries are not serious. As for Damontae Kazee’s injury, it is more serious and his availability may be questionable.
— Teresa Varley (@Teresa_Varley) August 28, 2022
Unfortunately, not all injuries sustained in the match were considered minor. In fact, for the safety of Damontae Kazee, the wrist injury was labeled “more serious” and could advance his availability in question.
What was unfortunate about the Kazee injury was that he was expected to play a big role in defense this season. The team had done many three safety looks with Minkah Fitzpatrick, Terrell Edmunds and Kazee, and without Kazee in the lineup, the next man might not be able to fill those shoes.
UPDATE: According to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Kazee’s injury will require surgery and will end up on the Reserve/Injured List (IR). To return to the Steelers in the 2022 season, Kazee will first need to spend 24 hours on the 53-man roster starting Tuesday. If Kazee is placed on IR before then, he must remain there for the entire season or be released once he has passed a physical good.
Bad news for Steelers: backup security Damontae Kazee needs surgery on an injured wrist/arm and goes on IR.
— Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) 29 August 2022
Nevertheless, the Steelers now have two weeks to prepare for the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1 of the regular season, and the hope is that some of these injuries will be nothing more than a dot on the radar once the games start counting.
Be sure to stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news and comments about the team as they head into the regular season on September 11.
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