Steelers Injury Report: Akelllo Witherspoon ruled out for Sunday’s game

Sep 30, 2022 - 7:28 PM

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The Pittsburgh Steelers had a number of injuries coming out of their Week 3 defeat, many of which were not known until Mike Tomlin’s press conference on Tuesday. As the Steelers take the practice field for their final day of preparation for the New York Jets, there was one new player added to the report. In the final injury report of the week courtesy of the Steelers PR department, Ahkello Witherspoon has been ruled out and is the only injury designation for the game.

Steelers PR Department

What many had believed to be the most significant injury on the list was the concussion to All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. Tuesday was the first time any issue with Fitzpatrick was reported. Having the extra few days with the Steelers playing on Thursday night looks like it may be enough for Fitzpatrick to get on the field Sunday. The first step is for Fitzpatrick is to be symptom free and then get on the field and increase his activities without symptoms. All week, Fitzpatrick was a full participant which was a great sign for him moving forward. On Friday, Fitzpatrick was not given an injury designation for the game and is good to go for Sunday.

An injury that was known coming out of last Thursday’s game was the hamstring issue with Ahkello Witherspoon which kept him off the field throughout the fourth quarter. For all three practices of the week, Witherspoon was unable to take the field and has been ruled out for Sunday.

Another injury of concern that was new to the report on Friday was the other starting cornerback, Cameron Sutton, who was a limited participant with a groin injury. Although Sutton does not carry any injury designation for Sunday’s game, it is still concerning to have another starting cornerback dealing with an injury. How effective Sutton will be in Sunday’s game or if the injury will affect how much he’s able to play remains to be seen.

Another injury many were keeping an eye on is that of punter Pressley Harvin who is dealing with hip inflammation. In order to make sure the Steelers have all their bases covered, they signed Jordan Berry to the practice squad on Tuesday. In all three practices this week, Harvin was able to participate fully and has no injury designation.

Another player mentioned by Coach Tomlin in Tuesday’s press conference was Kevin Dotson dealing with an ankle injury. Having it be an ankle which cost him a portion of the 2021 season as well as this preseason, it’s uncertain at this time if it is a re-aggravation of the same injury or a new issue. Regardless of if it was a new injury or not, it appears to be a moot point as Dotson has been able to practice fully all week and is good to go for Sunday.

The new player added to the injury list on Thursday was defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi. Steelers fan had no need to alarm with Ogunjobi‘s absence as he was listed as being not injury related and simply getting rest. As expected, Ogunjobi returned to action on Friday and has no injury designation.

As for the Jets’ injury report, you can see the names below courtesy of Steelers.com.

New York Jets Participation/Injury Report, Week 4

Game Status

LB Quincy Williams (Ankle) - Out

CB Brandin Echols (Hamstring) - Questionable

Friday, September 30

LB Quincy Williams (Ankle) - DNP

CB Brandin Echols (Hamstring) - FP

DL John Franklin-Myers (Toe) - FP

QB Zach Wilson (Knee) - FP