PITTSBURGH, PA – The Pittsburgh Steelers suffered four injuries during their final preseason game, but got good news on two big ones.
Diontae Johnson and T.J. Watt both went down during the first half, Johnson with a shoulder injury and Watt with a knee issue. However, head coach Mike Tomlin said neither is expected to be serious and also mentioned both might have been able to return to the field if it were a regular season game.
Johnson was seen outside the locker room following the game in a sling. Both players spent the second half on the sideline with the team.
The other injuries, Damontae Kazee and Carlins Platel are being categorized as more serious. Kazee suffered an upper-body injury and appeared on the sideline with a sling on his left arm. Platel was in the locker room with a brace on his knee.
Head coach Mike Tomlin gave a grim assessment of safety Damontae Kazee’s wrist injury, calling it significant. A report from Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette confirmed that following the game, saying that Kazee will need surgery and the team will place him on Injured Reserve. There is no timetable for a return yet.
The Steelers’ starters played most of the first half against the Detroit Lions, with Watt’s injury coming in the second quarter and Kazee’s in the third. Tomlin, however, didn’t regret the decision, saying “you can’t box without sparing.”
Pittsburgh now has two weeks to recover before their Week 1 matchup with the Cincinnati Bengals.
