{"id":309760,"date":"2026-10-19T10:50:09","date_gmt":"2026-10-19T10:50:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/309760\/"},"modified":"2026-10-19T10:50:09","modified_gmt":"2026-10-19T10:50:09","slug":"steelers-win-comes-with-a-loss-where-they-can-least-afford-it-as-key-starter-works-his-way-back-from-the-injured-reserve","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/309760\/","title":{"rendered":"Steelers’ win comes with a loss where they can least afford it as key starter works his way back from the injured reserve"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\tHome<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\/<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNFL<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\/<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPittsburgh Steelers<\/a><\/p>\n

The Pittsburgh Steelers left Tampa Bay with a huge win and a growing injury list. One name on that list matters more than the rest, and it puts the spotlight on a veteran\u2019s long-awaited return.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\"Oct
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOct 11, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. (22), linebacker Patrick Queen (6) and cornerback Brandin Echols (26) react in the second half against the Indianapolis Colts at Acrisure Stadium.
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCharles LeClaire-Imagn Images<\/p>\n

The Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a> picked up a huge win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/a>, but it didn\u2019t come without a price. Steelers cornerback Brandin Echols injured his hamstring during the game and did not return after Pittsburgh ruled him out.<\/p>\n

Echols wasn\u2019t the only one who got banged up. Three Steelers players picked up injuries against Tampa Bay, and that number climbs to four if you count Steelers coach Mike McCarthy. Here\u2019s the full rundown.<\/p>\n

Steelers injuries vs. Buccaneers<\/p>\n

Cornerback Brandon Echols: hamstring, did not return<\/p>\n

Safety Jaquan Brisker: groin, returned and finished the game<\/p>\n

Tight end Pat Freiermuth: calf, returned to the game<\/p>\n

Coach Mike McCarthy: ankle, finished the game on the sideline<\/p>\n

Brisker\u2019s injury didn\u2019t keep him off the field for long, and he was able to close things out. Freiermuth\u2019s situation is a bit more layered. He popped up on the injury report out of nowhere after Saturday\u2019s walkthrough with a calf injury and was somewhat limited. He still played, reinjured the calf during the game, waved off the training staff, and came right back in.<\/p>\n

As for McCarthy, he injured his ankle but toughed it out and called the game for Pittsburgh. You have to respect that.<\/p>\n

Why the Brandin Echols injury is the one to watch<\/p>\n

Of all the names on that list, Echols is the most concerning. The Steelers\u2019 secondary isn\u2019t exactly deep at cornerback, and losing a body at that position stings more for this team than it would for most.<\/p>\n

Echols plays more of a slot cornerback role, which is a spot that requires a specific skill set. He has to handle quicker receivers in tight spaces, support against the run, and hold up in coverage on the inside. That isn\u2019t a job you can hand to just anybody on the depth chart.<\/p>\n

If Echols has to miss time with the hamstring, Pittsburgh doesn\u2019t have a ton of proven options to slide into that role. That raises a bigger question about the defensive backfield as a whole and how the coaching staff plans to piece it together.<\/p>\n

Could DeShon Elliott\u2019s return soften the blow?<\/p>\n

So the immediate question becomes: when exactly is DeShon Elliott going to be back for the Steelers?<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh opened up his practice window about 10 days ago, so the clock is already ticking on a decision. Mike McCarthy said before the Buccaneers game that Elliott is \u201cchomping at the bit,\u201d ahead of his return. <\/p>\n

That\u2019s about as encouraging as it gets from a head coach. Elliott\u2019s practice window is open, he\u2019s eager to get back on the field, and McCarthy sounds confident that he\u2019ll be ready when the team needs him.<\/p>\n

Elliott\u2019s return can\u2019t come soon enough<\/a>. Getting a veteran back in the defensive backfield would give the Steelers more flexibility to move pieces around if Echols is sidelined. It won\u2019t replace what Echols brings in the slot on its own, especially since that\u2019s a different position, but it could limit the damage and keep the secondary from getting stretched too thin.<\/p>\n

How quickly Echols bounces back and how soon Elliott is ready will go a long way toward determining whether this secondary holds up over the next few weeks.<\/p>\n

\"Play<\/a><\/p>\n

\t\t\t\"Oct\t\t<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh Steelers News<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t9 winners and 4 losers from Steelers\u2019 comeback victory against Bucs: Aaron Rodgers and the offense come alive in Tampa Bay\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

The Pittsburgh Steelers head to Paris in a 3-way tie atop the AFC North after surviving the Buccaneers in overtime. Plenty of players stepped up in the comeback, and a few others have real work to do.<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh Steelers News<\/a> Steelers News<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Home \/ NFL \/ Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers left Tampa Bay with a huge win and a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":309761,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[73,75,74,4853,22891],"class_list":["post-309760","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh-headlines","tag-pittsburgh-news","tag-pittsburgh-steelers-news","tag-steelers-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309760","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=309760"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/309760\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/309761"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=309760"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=309760"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=309760"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}