Veteran Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Jamel Dean is expected to miss multiple weeks with an ankle injury, according to a report by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Dean has been dealing with ankle problems all season. He first suffered an ankle injury in the team’s Week 2 loss to the New England Patriots, missing the end of that game. He missed practice in the Week 3 leading up to the Steelers’ Week 3 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, but was listed as questionable and eventually played in that game, albeit at least than 100% of the team’s defensive reps.
In Week 4, Dean played just 16 snaps before leaving the team’s game against the Cleveland Browns. Dean was seen limping on the Steelers sideline and had a boot on his injured ankle after the game.
According to Rapoport, Dean is expected to miss “a couple” of weeks.
ampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Jamel Dean (35) celebrates after a fumble recovery in the second half against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium Dec 15, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA. — Jayne Kamin-Oncea / Imagn ImagesCredit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
Minor injuries have been a constant for the 29-year-old Dean throughout his career. In seven seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he never once played an entire regular season full of games, setting career highs with 15 games played in 2021 and 2022. He missed three games last season.
Outside cornerback has very quickly gone from a serious strength to a weakness for the Steelers, with the team trading Joey Porter Jr. to the Dallas Cowboys and losing Dean to injury less than 24 hours later.
Asante Samuel Jr. and rookie Daylen Everette are expected to be the team’s starting cornerbacks in Week 5 against the Indianapolis Colts, with recent practice squad callup Doneiko Slaughter and usual slot cornerbacks Jalen Ramsey and Brandin Echols providing depth.
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