The Pittsburgh Steelers placed S DeShon Elliott and DL Daniel Ekuale on injured reserve today, the team announced today.
It was reported after the Steelers acquired S Kyle Dugger that the team would place Elliott on injured reserve, while it was a mere formality that Ekuale would go on IR too after tearing his ACL against the Green Bay Packers last Sunday. Elliott suffered a knee injury against Green Bay that Mike Tomlin described as a “hyperextended knee,” but there’s some doubt that he’ll be able to return to the Steelers this season.
The two moves leave the Steelers with 51 players on their active roster. With Ekuale down, there’s a chance the Steelers could elevate DT Kyler Baugh from the practice squad. LB Malik Harrison also could be activated off IR to play this week with his window to be activated ending on Monday.
The Steelers moved quickly to replace Elliott by acquiring Dugger on Tuesday night, and with Ekuale out, it could lead to more opportunities for rookie Yahya Black. The fifth-round pick had a strong preseason but hasn’t replicated that success in a reserve role through seven games.
The Steelers are hoping that Dugger will be ready to play “in some capacity” on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts, and he practiced with the team for the first time yesterday. If Dugger can’t go, the Steelers will rely on the safety trio of Juan Thornhill, Chuck Clark and Jabrill Peppers to try and replace Elliott.
Ekuale’s season ends after appearing in seven games, the eighth-year veteran making six tackles and deflecting one pass. He was signed last offseason after four seasons with the New England Patriots, and he started 16 games for the Patriots last year. Elliott has 38 tackles, a sack and an interception this season, and he missed two games earlier this year due to a knee injury.
While the Steelers left the door open for Elliott to return this season with Tomlin calling him “week-to-week,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler has heard that Elliott will miss the entire season, and that would make sense given the team’s urgency in acquiring Dugger. It’s a big blow for Pittsburgh’s already-struggling defense to not have him for even four games, but it sounds like it will be much longer.
