Running back Le'Veon Bell, who sustained a concussion on Thanksgiving night in Baltimore has been cleared for full-contact practice and is on track to play Sunday against Miami.
"I went through all the testing," Bell said after practice today. "I'm fine, I passed everything. I passed everything Monday. I'm thankful to be OK. I'm ready to play now. I'm ready to go out there and help the team win."
Bell was injured in the fourth quarter of the Steelers' 22-20 loss on Thanksgiving night at Baltimore. His helmet was knocked off as he attempted to score on second-and-goal from the Ravens 1-yard line with 1:32 remaining and the Steelers trailing, 22-14.
According to the league's concussion protocol, Bell can be tested through the weekend leading up to kickoff, and the Steelers will abide by the procedures that are in place and will honor the results. Therefore, despite not being completely cleared for Sunday's game, Bell has been making consistent progress through the week without experiencing any setbacks.
"I don't feel like it was the hit," Bell said. "I think it was my head hitting the ground. I think that's what did it. Hits, they happen all the time. I've been hit hard plenty of times.
"It was violent in there, but that's Ravens-Steelers. I'm not going to shy away. I've been playing football my whole life. I'm not scared to get hit or intimidated by getting hit. The hit is not going to necessarily scar me. I'm not going to be thinking about it. It's not going to determine the way I run. I'm still going to run the same way. I'm just going to continue to do what I do."
Bell was listed as a full participant in practice for the second consecutive day, as was offensive tackle Mike Adams (ankle). Linebacker LaMarr Woodley was upgraded from limited on Wednesday to full participant today. Guard David DeCastro (foot) did not practice on Wednesday and was upgraded to limited on Thursday.
Offensive tackle Kelvin Beachum (knee) and nose tackle Steve McLendon (ankle) did not participate for the second consecutive day. Defensive end Brett Keisel (foot) has been ruled out for the Miami game.
