Pittsburgh Steelers place two on Reserve/COVID-19 list

The Pittsburgh Steelers announced that they are moving defensive end Isaiah Buggs and running back Anthony McFarland Jr. to the Reserve/COVID-19 list this week.

Buggs has been a rotational piece for Pittsburgh, but he’s been sidelined with an ankle injury in recent weeks. On the season, the former Alabama defensive lineman is looking for his first sack — but he’s accumulated 17 tackles over nine games. Buggs was a full participant in practice on Wednesday.

The Steelers drafted Buggs with the 192nd pick in the 2019 NFL Draft out of Tuscaloosa. In three seasons, he’s played 29 games with 31 total tackles.

Former Maryland Terrapins running back Anthony McFarland Jr. has just three carries on the year from two games played. He played versus Cleveland at the end of October, then again versus Cincinnati at the end of November.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are right in the thick of the AFC playoff race. This weekend, they’ll be looking to find a victory in a huge showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs. The Steelers are one win behind Cincinnati and Baltimore in the North.

Steelers land two in NFL Pro Bowl

The Steelers’ defense has two Pro Bowl selections, linebacker TJ Watt and defensive tackle Cameron Heyward.

Watt led all edge rushers in the fan portion of the voting, eclipsing 237,000 votes. That was the seventh most of any player in the National Football League for the 2021 season. He has had a historic season and set the franchise record recently with 17.5 sacks. Despite missing a few games due to injury, he’s still been an unblockable and incredibly dominant force.

Watt is one of the favorites to win the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award. This is his third selection to the Pro Bowl in five seasons in the league.

Heyward is having the best year of his remarkable Steelers’ career. In 14 starts, he has seven sacks, the second-most on the team. He also has 13 quarterback hits, 11 tackles for loss, and 73 overall tackles. It will be Heyward’s fifth Pro Bowl appearance in the past five years.

The 2022 Pro Bowl will take place Sunday, February 6th in Las Vegas, Nevada. The kickoff is at 3:00 PM EST.