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Brooke Pryor, ESPN writer
PITTSBURGH — The Steelers will be without top receiver George Pickens on Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Pickens is recovering from a hamstring injury suffered in the days leading up to the Steelers’ Week 14 win against the Cleveland Browns. He was ruled out on Friday’s final injury report after not practicing all week.
Pittsburgh also ruled out safety DeShon Elliott (hamstring) and defensive end Larry Ogunjobi (groin) after neither of them practiced all week.
Without Elliott, the Steelers have a significant hole in their run defense as they prepare to face the NFL’s leading rusher, Saquon Barkley.
“As a next man up, I think we positioned ourselves as a defense that prides itself on crushing the run,” safety Minkah Fitzpatrick said. “So whether our best defender is out or not, we still have to do it.”
Since being acquired in free agency earlier this year, Elliott has been a disruptive force in the secondary with one interception, two forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and six passes defended. With Elliott out, the Steelers will rely more on versatile defensive back Cameron Sutton and safety Damontae Kazee to play alongside Fitzpatrick.
“All the guys we have in our secondary play together a lot,” Fitzpatrick said. “So when a player goes down, it’s comforting to know that we play a lot with the next man up. So there’s not a lot of communication or lack of trust there.”
Ogunjobi has 1.5 sacks this season along with 37 tackles, including five for loss. He has also recorded seven quarterback hits.
With Ogunjobi sidelined, the Steelers will rely on a combination of Dean Lowry, Keeanu Benton and Isaiahh Loudermilk to play up front with Cam Heyward.
The Steelers also listed nose tackle Montravius Adams as questionable for Sunday’s game, although he is still on injured reserve and would need to be activated Saturday in order to play.
