The Pittsburgh Steelers have some positive developments on the injury front ahead of their Week 6 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
On their penultimate injury report of the week, running back Rico Dowdle (toe) was listed as a full participant, which is the first time that's been the case since he suffered his injury in Week 2 vs. the New England Patriots.
Furthermore, defensive tackle Keeanu Benton (ankle) and cornerback Jalen Ramsey (wrist) were both limited participants after registering as non-participants on the first injury report this week.
Dowdle Closing in on Return
After missing three games in a row, Dowdle is finally on the precipice of a return for Pittsburgh.
He dislocated his toe twice against the Patriots, first in the second quarter and then in the third quarter in what was a 20-3 loss for the Steelers.
While speaking with reporters last week, the 28-year-old laid out how the entire process played out in that contest.
"The first time I did it, I came to the sideline and I was like, "I think my toe broke,'" Dowdle said. "So I went to the tent and it was dislocated and they popped it back in, did the X-rays. Nothing was broken or whatever, but once they popped it back in, I felt good, so I'm like, 'I wanna go back in the game and play.' Dr. [James] Bradley was like, 'No, we're playing on turf, think I'm gonna be done,' because when you get it, you hurt the plate at the bottom or whatever. So I ended up talking him into going back in, and he was like, 'If it pop out again, you've gotta be done,' and it popped out again, so I had to be done."
Following the team's Week 5 victory over the Indianapolis Colts, head coach Mike McCarthy stated that Dowdle was close to playing in that game.
Now, all the stars are aligning for him to be back on the field against the Bucs, even if it's not 100 percent official that he'll be active just yet.
Jaylen Warren will remain the feature back given that he has posted 491 yards in the three contests Dowdle has missed, but the latter will certainly still have a noticeable role in the offense.
Benton and Ramsey Trending in Right Direction
Ramsey broke his wrist in Week 3 vs. the Cincinnati Bengals and has not been a full practice participant since, though he's still played since suffering that injury and his status for this week's bout with Tampa Bay was never really in question.
Benton was a surprise inclusion on the first injury report this week, though it doesn't appear that he's dealing with a serious ankle injury considering he's been upgraded to a limited participant alongside Ramsey.
The game designations for both players remains to be seen when the final injury report is put out on October 16, but it certainly would appear they'll each be active against the Bucs.
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