The Steelers will be without two young, first-round linemen for Sunday's home game against the Buffalo Bills, but Coach Mike Tomlin is optimistic about having quarterback Aaron Rodgers back in the lineup.
Rodgers fractured a bone in his left wrist two games ago. He missed the second half of the win over the Bengals, and in an end-of-week decision was inactive for last Sunday's game in Chicago.
"We'll start this week with great optimism," said Tomlin, "although we certainly will limit him at the early portions of the week (and) provide opportunities for the other quarterbacks while preserving him.
"Again, we're comfortable with the general trajectory, but I'll keep you updated. His level of participation and the quality of his participation over the course of the week will be the greatest indicator."
Rodgers practiced late last week in a limited fashion, but Tomlin decided Saturday to hold him out.
"It was the prudent and appropriate decision," Tomlin said, adding later that, "First and foremost, you lean on the advice of the medical experts. I'm not going to take his competitive spirit and his will to compete as a negative. Those are positives. But certainly, it's our job as leaders to exercise appropriate precaution. And first and foremost, for me, are the opinions of the medical staff."
While the signs of Rodgers returning are hopeful, talented young linemen Broderick Jones (neck) and Derrick Harmon (knee) have been ruled out of Sunday's game against the Bills.
Jones, of course, is the starting left tackle of an offensive line that Tomlin said has "been on the upswing. The arrows pointed up on that collective, as a collective, and as individuals, and so I'm encouraged by it."
The Steelers' offensive line has committed only 8 penalties this season. The offense as a unit has committed 26, third-fewest in the NFL.
"I love the fact that they're largely playing penalty free," Tomlin said of the young line. "We don't talk about that enough. ... I'd be wrong if I didn't mention that as a component of their growth and development as well."
Jones, the team's 2023 first-round draft pick, was hurt early in the fourth quarter in Chicago while helping quarterback Mason Rudolph evade a sack during a touchdown drive. Jones was replaced by Calvin Anderson, who played 23 snaps and didn't allow a sack.
Anderson, a sixth-year NFL vet with 14 career starts, is a primary candidate to replace Jones this week.
"Feel really comfortable with what Calvin has given us," Tomlin said. "He's been that guy that's a swing tackle for us, and he's shown really good capabilities in that area. But we're also extremely comfortable with (Andrus) Peat, and that's one of the reasons why we acquired Peat in the team-development process. There's a guy who has a resume that started wire to wire, and came into this league as a first-rounder, and so certainly he has a different profile than Calvin.
"We like both guys. Both guys are veteran professionals who have a certain level of preparedness and maturity they bring to work every day. And so, we're gonna prepare both guys. We'll have more clarity as we get close to the game time."
Harmon, this year's first-round draft pick, has played in all nine games and started five, including the last four, at defensive tackle. He's made 22 total tackles with 2 sacks.
Last Sunday, he injured his knee but returned and finished the game. Harmon with 31 snaps and fellow rookie tackle Yahya Black with 13 snaps combined to nearly equal the number of snaps played in the game by Keeanu Benton (49) and Cam Heyward (47).
Black's snap count will no doubt increase against the Bills.
"Really encouraged by his growth," Tomlin said of Black, who recovered a key fumble Sunday. "I think his play time was kind of reflective of that.
"We like our young D linemen, and we've acquired a new one in Brodric (Martin-Rhodes). Sometimes guys get an opportunity. One man's misfortune is another man, or another men's, opportunity. And so we're encouraged by the depth that we have at that position. We'll take the collective through the week. We can see who can execute detail, and I'm sure it'll be more than one person. It often is when we're talking about losing somebody that's starter-caliber."
Tomlin ended his weekly press conference Tuesday with an inspiring answer to a question about former Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward's legitimacy as a potential Hall of Famer.
"Numbers do not tell his story, although his numbers are special. They are," Tomlin said of Ward. "That's a guy with 1,000 career catches. But, man, if you were around him, if you were in stadiums with him, if you were a member of his team or an opposing player, you understood what playing with and against Hines Ward was about. He was a football player first, a wide receiver second. To be quite honest with you, he was an offensive-perimeter bully. And I say that in a complimentary way.
"To me, he's a legendary player in his generation because of the way that he played. The amount of respect that he carried when he didn't have the ball in his hands, when it wasn't even a pass, is stuff of legend."
