Steelers OLB Alex Highsmith ‘feeling much better’ with ankle injury, ‘leaning in on return’
Now out for more than two weeks for his ankle injury, Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker Alex Highsmith said he’s “feeling much better” and did not rule out a return to game action Sunday at the Cincinnati Bengals.
During his weekly news conference Tuesday, coach Mike Tomlin said Highsmith was “leaning in on a return.”
“We’ll let his participation and the quality of that participation be our guide in terms of whether he gets back in or what degree he gets back in,” Tomlin said.
Highsmith suffered a sprain to the “lower” part of his left ankle late during the Nov. 10 win at the Washington Commanders. He has missed two games and not practiced since.
The Steelers held a light practice Tuesday. Highsmith did not confirm he participated, but he said he felt better “running around” Tuesday than he did last week before the Steelers’ mini-bye.
“I really have been attacking rehab every single day,” Highsmith said. “I’ve been here doing extra, doing as much as I can just trying to get back.”
Less than a week before Highsmith’s injury, the Steelers acquired veteran edge defender Preston Smith. Nick Herbig made a return from a hamstring injury in the interim, and those two have filled Highsmith’s shoes opposite star T.J. Watt on the edge of the Steelers defense.
“Progressing every day, that’s my goal,” Highsmith said. “I am aiming to try to get back out there. I’ve got to be confident that I can play on (the ankle).”
Trice, Adams on way back?
A pair of defensive players who remain on the injured reserve list are “working their way back to us,” Tomlin said.
Cornerback Cory Trice is coming up on two weeks since he returned to practice since he suffered a hamstring injury in September. Defensive tackle Montravius Adams has been on IR since Oct. 22 because of a knee injury, and Tomlin hinted that Adams could be cleared to practice this week.
“We’ll leave the door open for those guys,” Tomlin said.
Once a player on IR returns to practice, he has a 21-day window in which his team must activate him if he is to return to game action this season.
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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