Strong safety DeShon Elliott has a knee injury that will keep him from playing Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts, but Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin isn’t ready to rule the absence season-ending or commit to Elliott needing a stay on injured reserve.
“We haven’t discussed that at all,” Tomlin said Tuesday at his weekly press conference.
Elliott has a knee hyperextension that happened in the third quarter of the Steelers’ 35-25 loss Sunday to Green Bay. He was injured at the end of a 59-yard catch and run by Packers tight end Tucker Kraft, who landed on Elliott’s knee.
Tomlin described Elliott’s absence as “week to week.” Without Elliott, the Steelers will use a combination of Chuck Clark and Jabrill Peppers to man the strong safety spot against the 7-1 Colts, who lead the NFL in points and total yardage.
Tomlin said the Steelers were working out free agent safeties Eddie Jackson and Vonn Bell on Tuesday. Jackson, 31, is a nine-year veteran who spent most of his career with the Chicago Bears. He was with the Baltimore Ravens in 2023 and Los Angeles Chargers last season. Bell, 30, also is a nine-year veteran. He has spent two stints with the Cincinnati Bengals along with four seasons with New Orleans and one with Carolina.
Elliott also missed two games earlier in the season with a knee injury. He is in his second season with the Steelers and signed a contract extension over the summer.
“He’s a significant component of what we do, particularly relative to some things that Indy does well,” Tomlin said. “He is a central figure in our secondary in terms of run defense. He covers tight ends oftentimes in passing circumstances. We have some adapting to do in terms of how we divide the labor. That’s always the case when you lose someone, particularly someone significant.
“It’s not a one-person job. It’s a multi-person job. That’s the spirit in which we are planning. Several people will be given an opportunity to meet the demands of what he does for us.”
Defensive tackle Daniel Ekuale has an ACL tear in his knee that “definitely” will have him out, Tomlin said. Wide receiver Scotty Miller had surgery on a broken finger. He did not play against Green Bay.
“How functional he is will determine his ability to contribute,” Tomlin said.
Guard Isaac Seumalo missed much of the second half with a pectoral injury, and Tomlin said he is questionable to play against Indianapolis.
“He’s in a good mindset,” Tomlin said. “He’s certainly going to be limited in the early portions of the week, but he’ll have a chance to contribute, particularly because he’s a veteran player. He has some global snaps in his bank that could be an asset to him in terms of his ability to play on a limited number of (practice) snaps than maybe a younger player.”
Spencer Anderson will start at left guard if Seumalo can’t play.
