The Steelers were back to work on Wednesday, preparing for their first AFC North matchup of the season when they host the Baltimore Ravens at Acrisure Stadium.
Linebacker Alex Highsmith has already been ruled out for the game after suffering an ankle injury against the Washington Commanders.
"We'll take it week to week in terms of his availability," said Coach Mike Tomlin. "Excited about getting him back to us ASAP. But he won't be available this week."
On the good news front at the outside linebacker position, Nick Herbig could return this week after missing four games with a hamstring injury. In addition, the Steelers acquired Preston Smith via a trade with the Green Bay Packers last week, giving them needed depth at the spot.
"It makes it even cooler that we have a guy like Preston Smith under those circumstances," said Tomlin. "Pretty comfortable that Herbig is going to be back this week. He was at the doorstep of it a week ago. So, I think it's reasonable to be able to include him and some other guys that have missed some time. We'll just kind of let their participation be our guide in terms of whether or not they get back on the train or not, guys like Cory Trice Jr., for example."
Tomlin said he isn't sure what Herbig's level of participation will be just yet, or if he will be on a snap count this week. Herbig was a full participant on Wednesday.
"I have no idea. Herbig has not gotten himself fully in the boat yet, and so I'd be speculating on both ends of that, the level of the pitch count and how we divide the labor up," said Tomlin. "All of that will be determined after he gets really solid with being an inclusive component of the plan, and we get solid with it as well."
The Steelers had a few other injuries to deal with against the Commanders, including running back Najee Harris and cornerback Donte Jackson. But Tomlin doesn't feel there will be any lasting effects from them, although neither practiced on Wednesday.
"We had some guys that that went down in game and didn't return," said Tomlin. "Donte Jackson, just walked by, feels good (Tuesday), but feeling good (Tuesday) and executing in totality (Wednesday) are two different things, so we'll live it day by day in terms of some of those instances.
"They might be limited at the early portions of this thing from a prep standpoint, but we're not anticipating a lack of availability in any of those guys, Najee. We'll see what Wednesday looks like, but we're pretty comfortable as I stand here today that we'll include those guys in our planning at the latter part of the week and have those guys ready for action."
Tomlin is encouraged by the return of players to the lineup as well, with some healthy bodies back in action against the Commanders, including center Zach Frazier, Tyler Matakevich and Ben Skowronek.
"It was good to have Zach Frazier back. I didn't think he showed a lot of rust, particularly for a guy that doesn't have a great deal of playing experience," said Tomlin. "I was pleased with how he got back on the moving train. Tyler was back in the special teams game. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Ben in the special teams game as well. I think he got on that loose ball down the field and that was obviously a critical play in the game to minimize the effect of our botched punt fake.
"We had some challenging times in October from a player availability standpoint. But when you smile in the face of it, and you start to get some of these guys back, it really creates an awesome challenge, from a coach's perspective, to decide who to utilize and how to divide the labor up.
"I'm just appreciative all the contributions."
The full injury report is below.
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Pittsburgh Steelers Participation/Injury Report, Week 11
Wednesday, November 13
No. 11 WR Van Jefferson (Quadricep) - DNP
No. 22 RB Najee Harris (Ankle) - DNP
No. 26 CB Donte Jackson (Hamstring) - DNP
No. 51 LB Nick Herbig (Hamstring) - Full
No. 56 LB Alex Highsmith (Ankle) - DNP
No. 73 OL Isaac Seumalo (NIR - Resting Vet) - DNP
No. 81 TE MyCole Pruitt (Knee) - DNP
No. 9 DT Cameron Heyward (NIR - Resting Vet) - DNP
Baltimore Ravens Participation/Injury Report, Week 11
Wednesday, November 13
No. 5 CB Jalyn Armour-Davis (Knee) - Full
No. 14 S Kyle Hamilton (Ankle) - DNP
No. 80 TE Isaiah Likely (Hamstring) - Limited
No. 97 DE Brent Urban (Concussion) - Full
No. 53 OLB Kyle Van Noy (Illness) - DNP
