Outside linebacker Alex Highsmith was awaiting results of an MRI on Monday afternoon to determine whether he will miss any games because of the groin injury he suffered in the first half of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 20-10 victory against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Highsmith was injured late in the second quarter and did not return.
“I just have to see what the results are,” Highsmith said during media availability at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. “I don’t want it to linger all season. When I’m out there, I want to be 100 percent fully healthy.”
Highsmith said this groin injury is “different” than the one he sustained during training camp. That injury prevented Highsmith from playing in the preseason.
“It’s frustrating that it’s been a lingering thing,” he said. “We have to find out what it is, get some rehab and attack it every day.”
Groin injuries are nothing new to Highsmith. He missed a game during the 2021 season and was listed on the injury report in Week 5 last year because of his groin. As he entered the season, Highsmith thought the injury was behind him.
“It’s been healed,” he said. “I’ve got to look at it when I’m training over the summer. I work hard in everything I do. I have to change some things.”
The Steelers don’t have an abundance of depth at outside linebacker. Nick Herbig, the top backup at the left and right positions, replaced Highsmith and had two of the Steelers’ five sacks Sunday. The Steelers have no other outside linebackers on the 53-man roster, although defensive end DeMarvin Leal has taken snaps there in the preseason and regular season.
Jeremiah Moon must spend one more week on injured reserve before he can be activated. Ade Ogundeji is an option on the practice squad. Ogundeji spent all of last season on injured reserve with the Atlanta Falcons with a foot injury. A former fifth-round pick, he started 27 games for the Falcons in the 2021-22 seasons.
Highsmith, meantime, isn’t looking forward to starting over after aggravating an injury he thought had subsided.
“I was feeling great recovering from it and taking all the proper precautions,” he said. “It’s frustrating when the same injury happens. I’ll get back to my rehab and work my way to get back.”
Line dancing
Those plans to move Broderick Jones to left tackle, his natural position, have been shelved again with right tackle Troy Fautanu heading to injured reserve with a knee injury that will require surgery.
Jones figured to remain at right tackle for as long as Fautanu is out, which could be for the rest of the regular season.
Jones took reps at both spots until Fautanu was injured in training camp, and he was listed as the swing tackle last week when Fautanu temporarily moved into the starting lineup.
“Playing one side is a big factor in being able to hone in on your skills when you’re not switching side to side,” Jones said. “It’s good to be on one side, and we’ll continue to build from there.”
Dylan Cook eventually could serve as the swing tackle, but he must remain on injured reserve for one more week before he can return to the active roster. Spencer Anderson is the other likely candidate, particularly now that the Steelers have begun rotating fourth-round pick Mason McCormick into the left guard spot. Veteran starter Isaac Seumalo also could be nearing a return after missing the first three games with a pectoral injury.
“When Troy got hurt, I was told to start taking reps at right because we need to have a plan,” Anderson said. “I don’t know what we’ll do going forward, but I know, when Troy got hurt, I was taking a couple reps at left and right.”
Fitting back in
Signed to the active roster after beginning the year on the practice squad, Rodney Williams returned to his role as a core special teams player. He played 19 snaps and had one special teams tackle on a kickoff return that was stopped at the 12.
James Pierre, rejoining the Steelers after being unemployed the first two weeks, was elevated from the practice squad and played 13 snaps on special teams. He was a component of the special teams groups last season before he signed with Washington.
The contributions didn’t surprise special teams captain Miles Killebrew.
“Our game is adaptation,” Killebrew said. “That is something we have to do. Guys who are available to play on special teams, it’s because they have the ability to adapt.”
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