The Pittsburgh Steelers defense could get a boost following their bye week as a pair of opening day starters could be set to return from injuries.
Both cornerback Ike Taylor and outside linebacker Jarvis Jones have been cleared to practice and both could be in uniform when the Steelers play host to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday at Heinz Field.
Taylor, who has been sidelined with a broken arm suffered in the teams Week 3 victory against the Carolina Panthers, has been cleared by doctors to play this week.
Taylor had been practicing with the team on a limited basis and said the decision is up to the coaches on whether or not he returns.
If he does he will be back in the starting lineup and should offer up a bit of help to a defense that has allowed a whopping 40 passing plays of 20 or more yards already this season. If he does return against the Saints, the interesting decision will be whether Brice McCain or Antwon Blake becomes the nickel back.
As for Jones, the decision isn’t as simple.
Jones returned to practice on Monday and the team has a three week span to decide whether or not to activate him from the injured reserve list.
They don’t have to wait three week on Jones, who has also been out since injuring his wrist during the Week 3 win, as the team could deem him ready to go this weekend.
The interesting part is whether or not Jones sees the field when he is ready.
James Harrison hasn’t been great by any stretch of the imagination, and has 18 tackles and four sacks in Jones’s absence. If you are scoring at home, that is one more sack than Jones has had his entire career to this point, which spans 17 games.
The Steelers definitely want to get a long look at Jones, being a first-round pick, but with a team that has had problems generating pressure, they may be a bit reluctant to throw him back into the fire right off the bat.
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