Steelers notes: Kendrick Green, Alex Highsmith, Tyson Alualu show up on initial injury report

The first injury report released for the Pittsburgh Steelers in advance of their season opener contained three starters.

Center Kendrick Green (thumb) and outside linebacker Alex Highsmith (groin) were limited participants. Nose tackle Tyson Alualu did not participate because of an elbow injury.

Those injuries meant more work for players listed at second team on the initial depth chart of the regular season: J.C. Hassenauer at center, Melvin Ingram III at right outside linebacker and Isaiah Buggs at nose tackle.

Helmet to helmet

Joe Schobert called the defensive signals during his stops in Cleveland and Jacksonville, and Devin Bush held the job last year before his ACL injury.

Tomlin will have to choose one player to wear the green dot communication device against the Buffalo Bills. He indicated it could change throughout the game.

“We have two guys that are green-dot capable,” he said. “The reality is there are multiple helmets on the sideline, and you have the option between series to determine who that quote unquote green dot is.

“We’ll exercise those options and leave it a little bit mystical.”

Teacher’s pet

Schobert and T.J. Watt had their college careers at Wisconsin overlap by a few seasons. Schobert’s last year of college football was in 2015, and Watt concluded his Badgers career a year later.

“He was my backup,” said Schobert, who played on the outside in college. “I taught him to use one move, the chop dip. I’ve never seen him use the chop dip. He uses other things. He’s taken it way further than I did at outside linebacker.”

While Watt is negotiating a contract that could make him the NFL’s highest-paid defensive player, Schobert hasn’t done too bad for himself, either. In 2020, he signed a five-year, $53.75 million contract with Jacksonville that included $21.5 million in guaranteed money.