Joe Haden takes to practice field; T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith practice fully for Steelers
Although it remains far from assured he will return Sunday, Joe Haden took part in Pittsburgh Steelers practice for the first time in three weeks Thursday.
The veteran cornerback was listed as a limited participant on the league-mandated injury report released by the team. Haden has missed the past four games because of a foot injury.
In an encouraging development for the Steelers, starting outside linebackers T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith each practiced fully Thursday. Highsmith, in particular, indicated he expects to play in Sunday’s scheduled game against the Tennessee Titans. Highsmith said his quadriceps contusion feels “great,” albeit it “hurt pretty bad” when it was injured during last week’s loss at Minnesota.
Watt aggravated a groin injury during that game.
An addition to the Steelers’ injury report Thursday was top backup offensive tackle Zach Banner, who was listed as having a knee injury. Downgraded were defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs (ankle) and reserve tight end Kevin Rader (hip), neither of whom practiced.
Two reserves on defense who have missed significant time because of knee injuries appear to be on track to return against the Titans: linebacker Robert Spillane and defensive lineman Carlos Davis were full practice participants.
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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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