Steelers' James Pierre: Looks to clear concussion protocol
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Pierre (concussion) was a full participant in Thursday's practice, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.
Pierre looks to clear the league's concussion protocol by upgrading his practice participation from limited to full Thursday. The cornerback was an early exit in last Sunday's loss to the Bills, with newly signed Asante Samuel replacing him. The starting outside cornerback might find himself opposite Samuel for Sunday's matchup with the Ravens if former partner Joey Porter (elbow) is unable to suit up.
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Steelers' Patrick Queen: Upgrades to limited Thursday
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Queen (glute) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
Queen's upgrade to limited participation after being unable to practice Wednesday is a good sign for the linebacker's ability to play Sunday against the Ravens. If the veteran is unable to suit up against his former team, Carson Bruener and Malik Harrison will likely take more defensive snaps at linebacker in Sunday's contest.
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Steelers' Joey Porter: Limited with elbow issue
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Porter (elbow) was a limited participant in Thursday's practice, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
Porter appeared on the injury report Thursday with an elbow injury, but was still able to log a limited session. The ability to practice with a new injury bodes well for the starting cornerback's chances to suit up for Sunday's divisional contest with the Ravens. If the worst happens and the 2023 second-rounder is unable to go, the recently signed Asante Samuel will likely take over at outside cornerback.
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Steelers' Kyle Dugger: DNP Thursday
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Duggar (hand) did not practice Thursday, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
Duggar popped up on the injury report Thursday with a hand injury, and the inability to practice may be a sign he will not be able to suit up Sunday. The strong safety played 99 percent of defensive snaps in last Sunday's game against the Bills and logged five tackles (one solo) in the loss. If the veteran is unable to suit up, Chuck Clark will likely start Sunday against the Ravens.
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Steelers' T.J. Watt: Full participant Thursday
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Watt (toe) was a full participant in Thursday's practice, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
Watt did not practice Wednesday, but jumped to a full participant Thursday and was cleared of injury designation. The edge rusher will look to bounce back from last Sunday's 26-7 loss to the Bills by suiting up for a key AFC North showdown with the Ravens on Sunday. The 31-year-old logged 1.0 sacks in three matchups with the Ravens during the 2024 campaign.
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Steelers' James Pierre: Practicing in limited fashion
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Pierre (concussion) was a limited participant at Wednesday's practice.
Pierre suffered a concussion during this past Sunday's loss to the Bills. It's encouraging that he's already back on the practice field, but he'll still need to clear the league's concussion protocol before he can potentially play in Sunday's game versus the Ravens. The Steelers just waived Darius Slay and signed Asante Samuel to the active roster to take his place, so Samuel is expected to start if Pierre can't go. There's a chance Samuel takes over the starting role altogether at some point down the stretch, too.
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Steelers' Patrick Queen: Misses practice Wednesday
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Queen (glute) did not practice Wednesday, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
Queen was injured in last Sunday's loss to the Bills and was unable to return to the game. His injury was initially reported as a lower-back bruise, but it's actually Queen's glute. If Queen is unable to play Sunday against the Ravens, Carson Bruener and Malik Harrison would likely be next up for snaps at linebacker.
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Steelers' T.J. Watt: Dealing with toe injury
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Watt (toe) did not practice Wednesday, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
Watt played his normal allotment of snaps in last Sunday's loss to the Bills, recording four tackles on 82 percent of the defensive downs. It's unclear when he picked up the toe issue. On the season, Watt has logged 47 tackles (18 solo), including 7.0 sacks, 17 QB hits, seven pass breakups, including one interception, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries across 12 contests.
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Bills' Darius Slay: Lands in Buffalo
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The Bills claimed Slay off waivers from the Steelers on Wednesday, Alaina Getzenberg of ESPN.com reports.
Slay and the Steelers mutually agreed to part was after the 34-year-old was a healthy scratch during last week's loss to the Bills. During his tenure with the Steelers, Slay recorded 36 tackles (28 solo) and three pass breakups through 10 games. He'll add a veteran presence to the Bills' secondary, which features Christian Benford, Tre'Davious White and rookie first-round pick Maxwell Hairston. His first chance to suit up for the Bills is Sunday versus the Bengals.
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Steelers' Donte Kent: Practice window opens
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Kent (foot) was designated to return from the injured reserve list Wednesday, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.
The rookie seventh-round pick from Central Michigan has been sidelined all season due to a foot injury, but it now appears he's nearing a return. Pittsburgh now has 21 days to add Kent to its active roster before he reverts to IR. Once fully healthy, the 24-year-old is expected to play a depth role in the Steelers' secondary.
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Steelers' Payton Wilson: Busy day in Week 13 loss
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Wilson registered 14 tackles (five solo) during the Steelers' 26-7 loss to the Bills on Sunday.
Wilson played a total of 72 snaps (53 on defense, 19 on special teams) and tied a season high with 14 tackles during Sunday's loss despite not drawing the start. It was the fourth time this season that he recorded double-digit stops, and the second-year linebacker has logged at least five tackles in each of the first 12 games of the regular season. Wilson has officially cracked the century mark and sits at 103 combined tackles on the year, which is 11th most in the NFL.
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Darius Slay: Parts ways with Pittsburgh
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The Steelers waived Darius Slay on Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.
Slay mutually parted ways with the team after being a healthy scratch last Sunday against the Bills. The cornerback will consider signing with another team if he clears waivers, which is likely due to the roughly 10 million dollar cap hit associated with the claim. The Steelers will roll with a cornerback trio of Joey Porter, James Pierre and recently signed Asante Samuel.
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Steelers' Asante Samuel: Signs to active roster
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The Steelers signed Samuel off the practice squad Tuesday, Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reports.
Samuel was signed to the Steelers' practice squad Nov. 11 after being cleared to return to football activities following his spinal fusion surgery for a back injury he suffered in the tail end of the 2024 season. He logged 28 defensive snaps as a practice squad elevation in the 26-7 loss to the Bills last Sunday in the wake of the injury to outside cornerback James Pierre (concussion). The newly signed cornerback replaces 34-year-old Darius Slay on the active roster and will likely start at outside corner against the Ravens in Week 14 if Pierre cannot suit up.
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Steelers' James Pierre: Enters concussion protocol
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Pierre is in concussion protocol and will be limited in practice to start the week, Missi Matthews of the Steelers' official site reports.
Pierre appears to have suffered a concussion in Sunday's 26-7 loss to the Bills, and he will have to clear the league's concussion protocol to be available for the team's divisional showdown with the Ravens in Week 14. After Pierre's early exit Sunday, Asante Samuel made his Steelers debut and played 28 defensive snaps to finish out the game. The newly signed corner will likely start for the Steelers on Sunday if Pierre has not cleared concussion protocol.
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Steelers' Derrick Harmon: Ruled out again
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Harmon (knee) has been ruled out of the Steelers' Week 14 matchup with the Ravens, Missi Matthews of the Steelers' official site reports.
Harmon will now miss consecutive games due to a knee injury he suffered in the Week 12 loss to the Bears. The rookie first-rounder has logged 22 tackles (nine solo), including 2.0 sacks, one pass defensed, and one fumble recovery through nine games this season. With the defensive tackle absent against the Bills in Week 13, Yahya Black saw a significant uptick in defensive snaps and is likely in line for a similar workload against the Ravens this coming Sunday.
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Steelers' Patrick Queen: Dealing with lower-back bruise
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Queen is believed to have suffered a lower-back bruise in Sunday's 26-7 loss to the Bills, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.
Queen's injury was initially considered a hip issue, but it's now been clarified to be a lower-back injury. The 26-year-old is set to undergo more testing, though the team is hopeful that it's not a long-term concern. Queen's practice participation throughout the week will likely provide the best indication of whether he can suit up for the Week 14 matchup against the Ravens.
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Steelers' James Pierre: Exits game Sunday
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Pierre (head) is questionable to return to Pittsburgh's matchup versus Buffalo on Sunday, Burt Lauten of the team's official site reports.
Pierre is currently being evaluated for a concussion after exiting the game in the second half. If the 29-year-old ends up being unable to return, Asante Samuel should step in as one of the team's top cornerbacks.
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Steelers' Patrick Queen: Won't return vs. Buffalo
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Queen (hip) has been ruled out for the rest of Sunday's game against the Bills, Alan Saunders of SteelersNow.com reports.
Queen injured his hip late in the second quarter, and after being evaluated by medical staff in the locker room, it's been determined that the injury is severe enough for the veteran linebacker to be sidelined the rest of the way. Carson Bruener and Malik Harrison should see more defensive snaps in the second half due to Queen's injury.
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Steelers' Patrick Queen: Exits with hip injury
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Queen (hip) is questionable to return to Sunday's game against the Bills, Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Queen exited late in the second quarter after sustaining a hip injury trying to tackle Bills quarterback Josh Allen on a key third down. The linebacker was reportedly limping to the locker room as he took off his gloves. Carson Bruener and Malik Harrison will likely be called upon more if Queen is unable to return.
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Steelers' Darius Slay: Healthy scratch Sunday
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Slay (coach's decision) is inactive for Sunday's game against the Bills, Teresa Varley of the Steelers' official site reports.
The veteran corner has fallen out of the starting lineup in recent weeks even when healthy, as he played on fewer than half of the defensive snaps last week against the Bears. With Asante Samuel officially in the fold after being elevated from the practice squad Saturday, Pittsburgh is going with a cornerback trio of Joey Porter, Samuel and James Pierre on the outside.
