Pittsburgh Steelers place Kwon Alexander on IR, release two players from practice squad

The Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3) have placed linebacker Kwon Alexander on injured reserve after he suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in the 23-19 Week 10 victory over the Green Bay Packers (3-6) Sunday.

Pittsburgh also released guard Joey Fisher and tight end Scotty Washington from the practice squad. Alexander, who signed a one-year deal with Pittsburgh this past offseason, sustained the injury in the first quarter. The Steelers entered Sunday’s contest thin at the position after Cole Holcomb suffered a season-ending knee injury in the 20-16 Week 9 victory over the Tennessee Titans (3-6) last Thursday. 

Alexander, 29, finishes his first campaign with the Steelers with 41 tackles (32 solo), five tackles for loss, one interception and one forced fumble in nine games (two starts). With both Alexander and Holcomb sidelined, Pittsburgh will lean on eight-year veteran Elandon Roberts. Roberts has recorded 56 tackles (36 solo), six tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks in nine games (eight starts).

“We’re going to lean on Elandon Roberts, but that’s why we brought him here,” head coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday. “He’s a defensive quarterback in mentality and a really good communicator, a really good above-the-neck player. He does a really good job in those areas. We hadn’t been playing him, in some situations or possession-down moments, but we might expand his role in some of those areas for benefit of communication and fluidity in that area. But those are things that we get an opportunity to ponder over the course of a preparation week.”

Kwon Alexander out for season, Steelers expecting return of Pat Freiermuth

Tomlin said Tuesday he feels good about the potential availability of tight end Pat Freiermuth for the Week 11 road tilt against the Cleveland Browns (6-3) this Sunday.

“We’ll watch him go through the week and look at the quality of his work and the amount of it and how he feels and let that be a determining factor,” Tomlin said, via Pro Football Talk. “But, [we] feel good about his potential availability.”

Freiermuth, 25, remains sidelined with a hamstring injury he sustained in the 30-6 Week 4 defeat to the Houston Texans (5-4). The 2021 second-round pick out of Penn State was initially expected to miss 2-3 weeks, but suffered a setback in attempting to return in Week 7 against the Los Angeles Rams (3-6).