Steelers WR Carted Off Field With Injury

A Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver has gone down with an injury as the team opens their second week of training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe.

Cole Burgess was loaded onto a cart after suffering an apparent lower-body injury that occurred during 7-on-7 drills in the Steelers' first padded practice of training camp.

Did not see what happened but WR Cole Burgess leaving on cart. Looks to be in a lot of pain. pic.twitter.com/y5FAWKeOMH
— Alex Kozora (@Alex_Kozora) August 3, 2026

Prior to going down with his injury, Burgess caught a 55-yard touchdown from rookie quarterback Drew Allar.

Burgess spent his collegiate career at Cortland State, a Division III program, where he logged a total of 3,133 yards and 33 touchdowns on 178 receptions from 2018 to 2023.

The 26-year-old later signed with the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2024 and spent his rookie season on their practice squad.

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Cole Burgess (17) takes the field before the NFL preseason game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Indianapolis Colts at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Thursday, Aug. 22, 2024. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Burgess did not make the Bengals' 53-man roster in 2025 either and was let go at final roster cuts. He wasn't re-signed to Cincinnati's practice squad or picked up by another team for the entire year.

Pittsburgh later swooped in and signed Burgess to a reserve/futures contract in January.

The team will likely provide an update on his status in the near future.

Steelers' Depth Outlook at WR

For the most part, the Steelers appear set at the receiver position heading into the regular season.

Over the past few years, the organization has faced a boatload of questions about its lack of depth and even quality starting options at receiver.

In 2024, Pittsburgh failed to acquire a proven No. 2 receiver to pair with George Pickens. Last season, the team traded him to the Dallas Cowboys two months after landing DK Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks, who also didn't have a dependable running mate in his first season with the black and gold.

The Steelers are hoping they fixed that problem by acquiring Michael Pittman Jr. from the Indianapolis Colts, whom they extended for three years and $59 million, while also selecting Germie Bernard in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

With Roman Wilson also generating plenty of hype under the team's new coaching staff while Ben Skowronek and Kaden Wetjen round out the prospective depth chart despite primarily being special teams contributors, Pittsburgh has to feel pretty good about where it stands at the moment.

Because those six players all appear to be locks to make the roster, there isn't much space for any of the team's other receivers to secure a 53-man spot.

Depending on the nature of Burgess' injury, the Steelers' other tertiary options at receiver include A.T. Perry, Brandon Smith, Max Hurleman and Joaquin Davis.

Seventh-round rookie Eli Heidenreich may also factor into that mix while getting most of his work in at running back.

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