Green goes through 1st practice
Ladarius Green went through his first practice with the Steelers Tuesday. For the record, it was Oct. 25, about 230 days from the day he signed his four-year, $20 million contract in March.
But for Green it was almost as if the calendar was turned ahead two months to Dec. 25. The anticipation and excitement he had was reminiscent of past Christmas mornings.
“I was excited, a little bit nervous, but it was just good to be out there with the fellas,” Green said after practice. “They’ve been supporting me this whole time. It was good to practice with those guys.”
Now the Steelers have 21 days to decide if Green will be activated from the physically unable to perform list to the 53-man roster.
Green was signed to replace longtime tight end Heath Miller, who retired after last season. The Steelers knew Green would not be able to participate in offseason training activities or minicamp in the spring because of ankle surgery performed before he signed his contract, but they were hoping he would be ready to take part in training camp.
But Green was placed on the PUP list the day training camp started because he wasn’t ready to practice. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and other news outlets reported in August that Green remained on the PUP list because of recurring headaches. He was transferred to the regular-season PUP list just before the season started and had to sit out the first six games as a result.
Green was eligible to practice last week, but coach Mike Tomlin didn’t want to start the 21-day evaluation period until Tuesday. Green reported no issues with his ankle after the workout.
“I still felt a little bit stiff, a little bit rusty, but it was good to be out there,” he said.
Green, who is 6 feet 6 and weighs 240 pounds, took part in the entire practice and showed off some of the skills that earned him his lucrative contract after four seasons as the backup tight end behind Antonio Gates in San Diego.
During the team portion of practice he caught a touchdown pass from thirdstring quarterback Zach Mettenberger. He also caught passes from Landry Jones and Ben Roethlisberger, who returned to throw passes in practice eight days after having surgery for a torn meniscus in his left knee.
“I’ve heard guys on other teams talk about him, but to actually see it was awesome,” center Maurkice Pouncey said. “The way he caught the ball and came out of routes … it was exciting. I know he was happy to be out there with the guys.”
Jesse James, Xavier Grimble and David Johnson manned the tight end position in the first seven games.
The Steelers practice again today and then four more times next week before their Nov. 6 game in Baltimore. If he progresses well there is a possibility he might be activated for the Ravens game.
“I would hope so,” said Green, when asked if six practices were enough for him before playing in a game. “I’d just have to see how it feels that week and see how the coaches feel about it.
“I wanted to play the first game. It’s up to the coaches and what they feel is best.”
Roethlisberger better
Roethlisberger did not speak to reporters in the locker room Tuesday, but he did his weekly radio spot on 93.7 The Fan. He said on “The Cook and Poni Show” that his goal is to practice next week.
“It’s doing better, really working hard with the rehab and the trainers,” Roethlisberger said. “I went out and I went through some individual work and threw some balls. It was good to get out there and do some stuff.”