Steelers notes: Mike Tomlin again declines to praise WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling

Now that Marquez Valdes-Scantling has been part of the Pittsburgh Steelers for a week, would coach Mike Tomlin become more open to praising the veteran receiver or speculating how or when he might be deployed on the active roster?

Not during Tomlin’s weekly news conference Tuesday, no. Tomlin again dismissed Valdes-Scantling — the 31-year-old friend and longtime teammate of Steelers starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers — as merely the practice squad player he currently is.

“We’ll see what the week holds for him and all the others on practice squad, man,” Tomlin said when asked if Valdes-Scantling might be in uniform for Sunday’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals. “We’re not opposed to elevating people and giving them an opportunity to contribute.”

Tomlin went on to mention Mark Robinson and Trey Sermon as players who have earned practice-squad elevations for games so far this season.

An eight-year veteran, the speedy Valdes-Scantling played four seasons with the Green Bay Packers with Rodgers, totaling 13 touchdowns and 2,153 receiving yards in that time. He also has played for four other teams, including five games for the San Francisco 49ers this season.

“I’m certainly open to evaluating (Valdes-Scantling),” Tomlin said, “(via) his ability to know what to do and the quality of that execution and how it might fit into what we’re trying to do offensively in an effort to engineer victory.”

Injury updates

Tomin said starting left guard Isaac Seumalo is scheduled to return to practice after sitting out all of last week and missing a loss at the Los Angeles Chargers because of a pectoral injury. Though Seumalo has not finished a game in four weeks (he was forced to leave games against Green Bay and Indianapolis during the second half), Tomlin is “optimistic about his return.”

Tomlin said that a trio of reserves on defense who have missed each of the past two games will return to practice this week, albeit on a limited basis: safety Jabrill Peppers (quadriceps), inside linebacker Cole Holcomb (illness) and receiver Scotty Miller (finger).

On the safety swap

Tomlin in part explained the Steelers’ Monday roster moves at safety — releasing Juan Thornhill and claiming rookie Sebastian Castro — by saying Thornhill’s play “wasn’t up to snuff.”

But Tomlin was quick to add that the transactions said “more about Castro and less about Juan.”

An undrafted rookie free agent out of Iowa, Castro opened eyes during training camp and preseason games. He was added to the Steelers’ practice squad at the start of the regular season but on Sept. 30 was signed to the active roster of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who waived him this past week.

“We went through the team development process with Castro and thought he had a good camp, a good preseason,” Tomlin said. “He played his tail off in that (joint) practice against the Bucs (in August). I think that’s why they stole him from us, and we had an opportunity to reacquire him (this week). We’ve absorbed some attrition (at safety and on special teams) since he left, and so it was an opportunity to get him back.”