Alex Highsmith returns to Steelers practice; Jaylen Warren, Ke’Shawn Williams upgraded
Alex Highsmith returned to practice Thursday. The true test won’t come until Friday, however, in regards to his availability for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ upcoming game.
“It feels good walking around,” Highsmith said after Thursday’s practice at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, “but I haven’t tested it in regards to truly getting on blocks and stuff like that. So we’ll see what happens (Friday) at practice. We have a plan for it.”
Highsmith missed this past Sunday’s victory against the Cincinnati Bengals because of a pectoral injury. On Thursday’s league-mandated injury report, he was listed as a partial practice participant.
Highsmith said his injury “definitely feels better than last week” but stopped short of saying with certainty that he will be cleared to play in Sunday’s game at the Chicago Bears.
“I’m definitely very optimistic and hopeful and want to play this weekend,” Highsmith said, “but we’ll see what (Steelers training staff) has got planned for me.”
Looking positive
In addition to quarterback Aaron Rodgers returning to practice, the news remained positive for starting cornerback Darius Slay, No. 1 running back Jaylen Warren and rookie return man Ke’Shawn Williams.
Slay practiced fully for the second consecutive day as he emerges from a concussion that prevented him from playing against the Bengals. Warren was a limited participant Thursday after sitting out Wednesday’s session because of an ankle injury that prevented him from playing during the fourth quarter against Cincinnati. Williams was upgraded from limited to full participation at practice Thursday after entering NFL concussion protocol Sunday.
Additionally, starting left guard Isaac Seumalo (limited, pectoral) and inside linebacker Cole Holcomb (full practice, illness) remained status quo. Holcomb has missed the past three games, and Seumalo’s injury has lingered to some degree for more than a month. He did make it through the full game against the Bengals.
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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