Pittsburgh Steelers vs Seattle Seahawks Wednesday injury report

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks are dealing with a myriad of injuries at some crucial positions ahead of their matchup on Sunday. Notably for the Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger and Melvin Ingram did not practice on Wednesday, while wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster is out for the season with a shoulder injury. For Seattle, quarterback Russell Wilson is out for a number of weeks after undergoing surgery on his middle finger.

Steelers injury list

Did Not Practice – Steelers: QB Ben Roethlisberger (Pectoral/Hip), LB Melvin Ingram III (Not Injury Related), WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (Shoulder), OL Trai Turner (Not Injury Related)

Ben Roethlisberger did not practice Wednesday as it is his scheduled day off. Melvin Ingram and Trai Turner missed practice with non-injury related issues. On Monday, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin spoke on what JuJU Smith-Schuster’s injury means for the Pittsburgh offense.

“However unfortunate the injury is for JuJu,” said Tomlin, “It does provide an opportunity for James (Washington) to expand his role and to do some things that we all know he’s capable of doing. It provides an opportunity for Ray-Ray McCloud to expand his role and continue to develop as a receiver and get more opportunities in that space.”

Limited Participant – Steelers: WR Chase Claypool (Hamstring), WR James Washington (Groin), DT Carlos Davis (Knee), DT Cameron Heyward (Neck)

Wide receivers Chase Claypool and James Washington were both limited on Wednesday, seriously threatening Pittsburgh’s depth at the position. Claypool and Washington are expected to take a bigger role in the offense to make up for the loss of Smith-Schuster for the season. Defensive tackle Cameron Heyward was limited with a neck injury he stated last week he has been dealing with “for a while.” Reserve defensive tackle Carlos Davis was limited on Wednesday after missing four consecutive games.

Full Participation – Steelers: CB Cam Sutton (Groin), LB Devin Bush (Groin)

Cornerback Cam Sutton missed week five with a groin injury but returned to practice ahead of the Seahawks matchup. Linebacker Devin Bush left the Steelers’ win over the Broncos with a groin injury and did not return. Bush returned as a full participant in practice on Wednesday.

Wilson out multiple weeks for Seahawks

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is out multiple weeks after rupturing his middle-finger tendon. Wilson underwent surgery on Friday.

Wilson exited Thursday night’s loss to the Los Angeles Rams with an injury to his finger that led to Seahawks backup quarterback Geno Smith filling in.

Wilson sustained the injury in the third quarter when Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald’s arm collided with Wilson’s hand, bending his middle finger backwards. The broadcast showed Wilson favoring the middle finger on his throwing hand and later showed the trainers working on Wilson’s hand. 

Before the middle finger injury, Wilson threw 10-of-15 for 151 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

Heading into the Week 5 matchup, Wilson has 1,044 passing yards with nine touchdowns. His interception to Rams linebacker Troy Reeder was his first of the 2021 season. 

With Wilson out for an extended period, former West Virgnia star Geno Smith is expected to lead the Seahawks at quarterback.