It’ll take at least 24 hours — and about 3,500 miles — before any additional clarity comes on the status of two starting defensive backs for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ upcoming game.
Safety DeShon Elliott and cornerback Joey Porter Jr. remained status quo for Thursday’s practice at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. Each, like Wednesday, was regarded as a limited participant on the league-mandated injury report.
The team practiced indoors Thursday a few hours before heading to the airport for a flight to Dublin in advance of Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings. The Steelers will practice in Ireland on Friday, after which the status report for Sunday’s game will be released.
Neither Elliott nor Porter has played since the Sept. 7 season opener at the New York Jets, during which Elliott suffered a knee injury in the first half and Porter a hamstring ailment in the second half. Both defensive backs returned to practice this week after two full weeks of sitting out.
In their stead, a host of Steelers have picked up the playing-time slack in the secondary to varying degrees. That group includes safeties Chuck Clark, Jabrill Peppers and Juan Thornhill and cornerbacks Brandin Echols and James Pierre.
It had been previously announced that outside linebacker Alex Highsmith (ankle) would miss his second consecutive game Sunday. The only other player with an injury designation this week is inside linebacker Patrick Queen, but he returned to full participation at Thursday’s practice and has previously played through his oblique injury.
Receiver DK Metcalf, outside linebacker T.J. Watt and defensive lineman Cameron Heyward were given Thursday off by coach Mike Tomlin.
