Ahkello Witherspoon doubtful, Steven Sims out for Steelers vs. Dolphins
The Pittsburgh Steelers just can’t seem to get their entire secondary healthy.
The final league-mandated status report of the week Friday gave official word that cornerbacks Cameron Sutton and Levi Wallace will return to game action Sunday at the Miami Dolphins. But cornerbacks Ahkello Witherspoon and James Pierre were designated as doubtful and questionable, respectively, to play in the Sunday night game.
Sutton missed last week’s victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers because of a hamstring injury, and Wallace did not play because of a concussion. Each practiced fully the past two days.
Witherspoon has missed the past three games because of a hamstring injury. But mid-week optimism about his status after he practiced fully Thursday was muted Friday when a “limited” designation left him as doubtful to play against Miami.
Under coach Mike Tomlin, it is extremely rare a player listed as “doubtful” Friday ends up playing in a game that Sunday.
In the absence of the Steelers’ top three cornerbacks, Pierre started the Tampa Bay game but apparently suffered his hip/knee injury during practice Thursday. With Wallace and Sutton healthy, though, even if Pierre does play it is likely he will would be limited to a special-teams role.
The only player definitively ruled out for Sunday’s game was returner Steven Sims, who suffered a hamstring injury last week after having a long return each on a punt and kickoff against Tampa Bay. Gunner Olszewski is expected to reclaim those roles against the Dolphins.
A host of other players listed on the injury report who practiced fully Friday were given the official green light for Sunday’s game: quarterback Kenny Pickett (concussion), tight end Pat Freiermuth (concussion), safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (knee), linebacker Myles Jack (ankle), center Mason Cole (foot/ankle), guard James Daniels (ankle) and defensive linemen Chris Wormley (ankle) and Larry Ogunjobi (knee).
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Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.
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