Steelers' McDonald in a sling; Grimble and Samuels ready to step up
PITTSBURGH - Steelers tight end Vance McDonald was sporting an arm sling at the team's facility on Tuesday. He suffered a shoulder injury in San Francisco and did not return to the game.
We don't know the severity of the injury yet, but obviously McDonald's absence would be very noticeable. Tight end is easily one of the Steelers' weakest positions in terms of depth. If McDonald were to go down with an injury, some inexperienced players would have to step into a larger role.
Xavier Grimble has been with the team since 2016, owning seniority at the position. He's constantly been the third option behind either the Ladarius Green/Jesse James tandem or the McDonald/James duo. When Jesse James left for Detroit in free agency, the Steelers decided to not address the position in free agency. This clearly gave Grimble the opportunity to be the de facto starter if McDonald went down with an injury.
Mike Tomlin's weekly press conference was postponed from Tuesday to Wednesday, so we currently don't have a clear view of McDonald's availability for this week. Grimble is ready to step in if Vance can't go on Monday night.
"It's exciting," Grimble said. "When somebody's down, somebody has to step in and do their job and try to get a win, so that's what I'll do."
Grimble explained more about how he prepares the same every week and waits for his number to get called, no matter the circumstance. "I prepare the same way and I let the game unfold how it unfolds; I just try to work on my preparation because that's the only thing that really matters."
2019 fifth-round draft pick Zack Gentry may get extensive looks in McDonald's potential absence as well. Grimble didn't hesitate on how Gentry has progressed since being drafted by Pittsburgh.
"He's gotten way better."
Jaylen Samuels didn't see any touches in the loss to San Francisco. If McDonald doesn't dress on Monday night, the Steelers may need to look to players at other positions to make some plays for them.
Samuels is a good pass-catcher out of the backfield and has played in some big spots for the Steelers in his short career so far. Getting into a rhythm with Mason Rudolph in at quarterback may help Samuels' production when his name is called.
"We haven't really gotten into a rhythm yet, but it's coming," Samuels said. "These first three games started kind of slow, that's why we've got to get back in the lab."
The Steelers' offense has struggled mightily in the first three games of the season. They've failed to run the ball successfully and haven't been able to get any consistency in the passing game.
If Vance McDonald misses multiple games, that's yet another blow to this offense that's been sputtering since day one. Players in house will have to step up and make plays. From the sound of it, guys like Grimble and Samuels are more than ready to make plays on Monday night when their names are called.
UPDATE: According to multiple reports, the Steelers have acquired tight end Nick Vannett for a 2020 fifth-round pick.
This obviously means the Vance McDonald injury has forced the Steelers' front office to address the depth at tight end. With Vannett coming in to a new system, players like Grimble and Samuels will still have their opportunities to step up for the time being.
