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Positive updates coming out of the bye…
The Pittsburgh Steelers have officially returned to practice after their Week 9 bye with plenty of updates heading into Sunday’s matchup against the Washington Commanders.
Not only have they added two new players into the mix with the trade acquisitions of WR Mike Williams and OLB Preston Smith, but they’ve also gotten healthier over the bye and could be on the brink of getting several players back from injury.
The biggest news of the day was the return of rookie center Zach Frazier to full participation in his return from an ankle injury suffered back in mid-October. He’s missed each of the past two games and took the bye for extra rest, but after logging a full practice Wednesday, he appears on track to return to the starting lineup. Despite his inexperience as a rookie, Frazier has been an anchor on the offensive line, entering Week 10 as PFF’s fifth-most highly graded (82.2) center so far this season. Notably, Week 10 will mark his first start with QB Russell Wilson, having played each of his first six career games with Justin Fields.
Among others who were upgraded to full participants coming out of the bye were RB/KR Cordarrelle Patterson and Fields. The now-backup QB had missed Week 8 with a hamstring injury, listed as inactive despite being listed as the emergency third QB.
There are two players currently in their 21-day practice window returning from injured reserve, including LB Tyler Matakevich and WR Ben Skowrenek. Both, if fully healthy, could be contributors on special teams. Matakevich’s practice window was officially activated on October 24, which means the team will need to promote him to the active roster ahead of Week 11 or he will be placed on season-ending IR. Skowrenek’s 21-day practice was activated Wednesday.
For other updates, here’s a full look at the Steelers’ Wednesday practice report ahead of Week 10 of the season.
Steelers injury report: Week 10 (Wednesday)
Full: QB Justin Fields (hamstring), WR Ben Skowrenek (shoulder), LB Tyler Matakevich (hamstring), C Zach Frazier (ankle), RB/KR Cordarrelle Patterson (ankle)
Limited: LB Nick Herbig (hamstring)
DNP: S Terell Edmunds (illness)
Rest day: LG Isaac Seumalo