On Saturday, the Pittsburgh Steelers added reinforcements from the practice squad to provide depth in the wake of injuries to outside linebacker T.J. Watt and cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon.
Elevated to the 53-man roster were linebacker Ryan Anderson and cornerback Josh Jackson. They will be in uniform Sunday when the Steelers face the New York Jets at Acrisure Stadium.
Watt will miss his third game in a row with a pectoral injury, and Witherspoon will sit out his first with a hamstring strain.
Anderson, a former second-round pick by Washington in 2017, has 52 games of NFL experience albeit with just four starts. He will be used as a backup at outside linebacker, filling the role Delonte Scott served the past two weeks. Anderson, who has six career sacks and 15 quarterback hits, was signed to the practice squad Sept. 13. This is his first elevation to the active roster.
Jackson also is five-year veteran. He was signed to the practice squad Sept. 5. He has made 15 starts among 44 appearances with the Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs. He has 12 career pass breakups, two tackles for loss and one fumble recovery.
Malik Reed is expected to make his third consecutive start in place of Watt, and Levi Wallace is expected to start in Witherspoon’s spot.
In addition, right tackle Chuks Okorafor was not fined for his hit on a prone Anthony Walker Jr. In the Steelers’ 29-17 loss at Cleveland on Sept. 22. Okorafor dived on Walker, who was injured on a block and remained on the ground. Okorafor was penalized for being an ineligible man downfield on the play.
