Barring any unforeseen complications from knee surgery scheduled for Wednesday, David DeCastro will not be placed on injured reserve as the Steelers are holding out hope that the rookie first-round pick will be ready to return for the second half of the season. DeCastro reportedly suffered a torn medial collateral ligament, a dislocated knee cap and damage to his patellar tendon when his right leg buckled underneath him during the second series of Saturday’s preseason game against Buffalo. “Fortunately, he’s not done for the year,†Steelers offensive line coach Sean Kugler told Trib Total Media. “It is going to be a long comeback for him, but just the fact that it wasn’t something devastating that ended his year (is positive.)†Kugler said he isn’t sure when DeCastro will be healthy enough to return, but the Steelers are willing to go with an even more limited roster in the interim to afford DeCastro the opportunity to return this season. The team removed running back Rashard Mendenhall for the physically unable to perform list Aug. 17, even though he likely won’t be ready for game action until well into the regular season. Teams are permitted to carry 53 players on the roster, with Mendenhall and DeCastro counting against that number. “I think David will be back this year, and he’s intent on doing that; I know that,†Kugler said. Source: Pittsburgh Tribune Review
it makes me very sad to say id like them to IR him, get him to 100% and lets move forward with a pissed off starting RG next season :-((((((
