Steelers have no answers for Ladarius Green ankle and/or head injuries
PITTSBURGH — So much for that hot new sports car in the garage that Ben Roethlisberger had been comparing to Ladarius Green, eh? Instead of taking the new ride out for a spin, are the Steelers looking into Pennsylvania’s Lemon Laws?
If they are, they aren’t saying so after reports surfaced Thursday that Green could be dealing with something other than an injured ankle.
After Friday night’s 30-17 loss to the Detroit Lions in the Steelers’ preseason opener, coach Mike Tomlin reiterated in no uncertain terms that Green remains on the PUP list due to his ankle, which was surgically repaired at the end of last season, and the ankle only.
All those reports that Green is suffering from concussion-like symptoms? Crickets. Is Green contemplating retirement? Silence.
Since signing with the Steelers in free agency at a price of $20 million for four years, Green hasn’t so much as touched the practice field, leading to questions that more than an ankle could be keeping him sidelined. Through the first two weeks of training camp, Green has been a shadowy figure in a white bucket hat, working alone with a trainer on one side of the field while his teammates are practicing on another.
Obviously, there is concern for the player’s well-being. Head injuries should not be taken lightly, but Green’s ankle seems to be progressing. No determination has been made on Green’s status, but none of the options seem very attractive for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.
In a best-case scenario, Green misses a few weeks and, hopefully, can discover some chemistry with Roethlisberger along the way. In a worst-case scenario, Green goes on IR or calls it a career and it goes down as one of the worst free agent signings in franchise history.
Remember, Green was supposed to be the heir apparent to Heath Miller, the tight end of the future, another offensive weapon at Roethlisberger’s disposal and one that would take the position into the 21st century in Pittsburgh.
A pretty compelling argument could be made that Green is a bigger loss to the Steelers than even Martavis Bryant, who produced 50 receptions, eight touchdowns and 96.9 yards per game in 2015.
Consider this: the Steelers had safeguarded themselves against the possibility — or probability — that Bryant could be suspended. That’s why the Steelers, for reasons unknown at the time, unexpectedly used a third-round pick on a wide receiver, Sammie Coates, in the 2015 draft.
With Le’Veon Bell facing a three-game suspension to start last season, the Steelers brought in DeAngelo Williams. The veteran running back ended up starting the final half of the season and exceeded all expectations.
Clearly, Green’s slow rehab and/or concussion has taken the Steelers off guard.
There are only so many playmakers the Steelers can go without. There are only so many balls that Antonio Brown can catch or Bell can carry. With a pair of fumbles on Friday, Sammie Coates is still a work in progress. The Steelers need production from their tight end.
Without Miller, who retired in February, Matt Spaeth, who was released last month after failing a physical, and now Green, the Steelers are left with a quartet of Jesse James, David Johnson, Xavier Grimble and Paul Lang.
James and Johnson are the closest things to proven commodities, and even that is just a bit of a stretch.
James, a second-year player with some potential, had eight catches for 56 yards as a rookie. Johnson is a retread who spent the past two seasons in San Diego and is more of a traditional blocking tight end. In six NFL seasons, Johnson has 24 receptions for 224 yards. Combined, James and Johnson have two touchdowns, one each.
There was no way the Steelers could have recouped the 592 receptions, 6,559 yards and 45 TDs that Miller compiled in his 11-year career, but Green was supposed to be a start.
Grimble, a practice squad member last season, has the athletic build to be a tight end and has shown flashes in camp, but he’s also been plagued by drops. Lang, a Mount Lebanon native, is a fresh-faced rookie from Michigan State, but is a long shot to make the 53-man roster.
In mop-up duty Friday night, Lang led the Steelers tight ends with a modest two receptions for 15 yards.
Maybe Green’s absence creates an opportunity for Grimble or Lang. But like most everyone else, they seem to be in the dark, too.
“Honestly, I haven’t heard much about it, and I don’t really ask about it,” Lang said. “I just go in every day and put in the work. Whatever plays out, plays out. You can’t really plan those things.”
As the Steelers are finding out with Green, you can’t really plan these things.