Steelers Get Good and Bad Injury News With Two Starters

The Pittsburgh Steelers received both positive and negative injury news ahead of their Week 5 game against the Indianapolis Colts.

According to Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy, safety DeShon Elliott is set to have his 21-day practice window opened on October 8 while remaining on the reserve/injured list.

McCarthy added that Elliott will initially register as a limited participant in practice.

On the flip side, McCarthy also told reporters that wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. is slated to miss multiple weeks with his foot injury, which has lingered for most of the season up to this point and has now been aggravated.

McCarthy noted that the team is still evaluating his roster position in light of that news, likely meaning that a stint on IR is a possibility.

Pittman Jr. missed Pittsburgh's Week 2 loss to the New England Patriots as a result of the injury, though he returned in Week 3 vs. the Cincinnati Bengals and also played in Week 4 against the Cleveland Browns.

The veteran was seen with his foot propped up on a scooter in the locker room on October 7, however, which was a sign that his injury situation had worsened.

Sep 13, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (11) runs following a catch against the Atlanta Falcons during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

What This Means for Steelers

It's still up in the air as to whether or not Elliott will be activated from IR this week and thus miss just the minimum of four games.

Being active vs. Indianapolis does feel ambitious, though it doesn't appear as though that possibility can be completely ruled out just yet.

The Steelers have a clear need in their secondary, and adding a proven starter like Elliott back into the mix (whenever the time comes) next to Jaquan Brisker at safety would allow the team to further limit Rayshawn Jenkins' playing time while also not putting too much pressure on rookie Robert Spears-Jennings to go out and perform on defense.

As for Pittman Jr., his absence will open up more opportunities for Germie Bernard over the next handful of weeks.

The second-round pick logged 45 snaps against the Patriots when Pittman Jr. was out and played that exact number over the next two weeks combined (per Pro Football Focus), so he should be in for quite the jump in reps.

DK Metcalf and Roman Wilson would still seem to profile as Pittsburgh's top-two options at the receiver position for the time being, however.

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