Wounded defensive backfields will duel
Injury reports for Bills more serious
Only one player in the NFL has more interceptions than Minkah Fitzpatrick, and he plays for the Buffalo Bills. But safety Jordan Poyer — a first-team All-Pro last year while Fitzpatrick wasn’t for the first time since joining the Steelers in 2019 — won’t be playing Sunday in Buffalo.
Fitzpatrick will play along with fellow starters in the secondary Cam Sutton and Levi Wallace. All three were limited at times in practice this week, but Fitzpatrick and Wallace were full participants Friday and don’t carry an injury designation into Week 5. Sutton, who’s dealing with nagging groin and hamstring issues, is listed as questionable after being limited Friday, but he didn’t sound concerned about his status when he got to the locker room following practice.
“I feel good,” Sutton said, though he did bristle a bit when asked if he’ll be limited at all Sunday against a high-scoring Bills offense. “What’s ‘limited’? If I’m ready to go, I’m ready to go.”
Well, then. Same applies for Steelers defensive linemen Cam Heyward and Chris Wormley, who practiced fully after being limited the first two days of the week. After being added to the injury report Thursday, wideout Diontae Johnson was upgraded from limited to full and starting center Mason Cole (foot) remained limited but is not listed as questionable.
The true game-time decision for the Steelers will be starting strong safety Terrell Edmunds, who managed a second consecutive day of limited practice but has been in concussion protocol since leaving the Jets game early. If Edmunds is held out against the Bills, secondyear role player Tre Norwood will get the nod in his place.
“We’re very confident in him,” Sutton said of the versatile Norwood. “He’s grown a lot. ... This is a guy who’s been through a lot of situational ball, a lot of bigtime ball with us thus far.”
Norwood filled in for Edmunds last week after his injury and has started four games so far in his career, including one last year as an every-down safety in place of Fitzpatrick. If Edmunds is out, you could also see more of special teams captain Miles Killebrew moonlighting in a safety spot.
Buffalo is dealing with much more of a skeleton crew. In addition to Poyer (rib), who has picked off four passes already this season, starting tight end Dawson Knox has been ruled out. Those listed as questionable are Terrell’s younger brother, inside linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, as well as slot receiver Isaiah McKenzie and defensive linemen Ed Oliver and Jordan Phillips. All four were limited Friday, except for Edmunds, who missed a third straight day with a hamstring injury.
The Bills already are without star cornerback Tre’Davious White, who hasn’t played since sustaining a torn ACL last season, and starting safety Micah Hyde, who will miss the remainder of this season. Starting in their place have been Pitt products Dane Jackson, who attended Cornell High School and played football for Quaker Valley, and Damar Hamlin, who
starred at Central Catholic. And starting next to Hamlin at safety will be Jaquan Johnson, a key piece of Miami’s defense when Jackson, Hamlin and Kenny Pickett upset the No. 2 Hurricanes in 2017 — Pickett’s first college start.
“Super excited,” Hamlin said Thursday of facing his former teammate and cocaptain with the Panthers. “I was excited watching himthroughout preseason. I knew once he got his moment, he would be ready, for sure.”
Now he’ll see if he can have his moment against a banged-up secondary. The Steelers will be relying on Pickett at quarterback while the Bills will put their faith in a couple of Pittsburgh guys to help shut him down.
“Obviously, it’s a huge challenge,” Pickett said this week. “There’s a lot that goes into it. We could be here all day talking about how many great things they do and all the great players that they have. Former teammates of mine at Pitt in Dane and Damar, obviously, they’re high-level players, so we have our work cut out for us.”