Exiled from the team facility after testing positive for covid-19, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is staying involved and in contact with his coaches and teammates.
Roethlisberger typically does not practice Wednesdays during the season anyway, so that reps were split between Mason Rudolph and Dwayne Haskins was not all that different than a normal week. (Albeit, this week, new practice-squad signee James Morgan was available to direct the scout team).
Receiver James Washington and tight end Pat Freiermuth each said they’d spoken with Roethlisberger, though neither wanted to expand on it much more than that. Washington and Freiermuth were the lone offensive players made available to media after practice Wednesday.
“He’s reached out to a couple of us,” Freiermuth said, “but I am going to keep that private and between us what was said.”
Coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that Roethlisberger could play Sunday at the Los Angeles Chargers, provided he passes NFL covid protocol by testing negative on consecutive days and being symptom-free for 48 hours. Tomlin also said Roethlisberger would be dialed in to gameplan meetings via video conferencing.
“We (as players) haven’t talked to him much on Zoom, but I know coaches have,” Washington said. “Like ‘Coach T’ always tells us, we have to worry about who is in the building. I don’t know his status or anything, but we are focusing on what we have out here on the field right now.”
Rudolph would make his second consecutive start if Roethlisberger cannot play.
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