The Pittsburgh Steelers ruled out wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. with a foot injury Saturday for Sunday’s game at New England, Burt Lauten of the team’s official site reported.
Pittman was limited in practice Wednesday. He sat out Thursday, and on Friday he was listed as a non-participant after a walk-through, which made him questionable.
He led the Steelers in receiving yards in his team debut. Pittman caught all three of his targets for 58 yards in the 20-13 opening win over the Atlanta Falcons.
The Indianapolis Colts drafted him in the second round in 2020 out of USC. He joined Pittsburgh this offseason as the No. 2 receiver behind DK Metcalf.
Two younger receivers move up.
Roman Wilson is set to play more snaps as an outside receiver, Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reported. Wilson worked as the No. 3 receiver with the first-team offense through most of training camp.
Rookie Germie Bernard, a second-round pick, is set to be the No. 3 option, according to DeFabo.
Bernard filled in for Pittman once before. When Pittman got hurt during a night practice at Latrobe Memorial Stadium in camp, coach Mike McCarthy singled Bernard out.
“With injuries in the practice Saturday night, I thought Germie really stepped up,” McCarthy said in August.
Metcalf is likely to see heavy volume. He drew 10 targets in the opener, five of them deep.
Tight ends Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington could also absorb targets. Washington caught both of his targets for 18 yards against Atlanta.
Aaron Rodgers is the quarterback.
The Steelers will also be without cornerback Joey Porter Jr., who is out with a back injury.
New England has its own receiver problem. A.J. Brown is on injured reserve with a high ankle sprain.
Kickoff is 1 p.m. ET at Gillette Stadium, the Patriots’ home opener.
Pittsburgh returns home to face the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 27 at 1 p.m. ET. Should Pittman’s foot improve during the week, that game would be his next chance to play.
