As the 2014 NFL season enters its final weeks, the Pittsburgh Steelers continue to get healthy, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
After both Troy Polamalu and Ike Taylor made their returns from injuries last week, last year’s first-round pick Jarvis Jones will make his return this Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Jones hasn’t played since Week 3 after having had pins put in his wrist after he dislocated his right wrist while sacking and forcing a fumble of Carolina quarterback Cam Newton. He practiced last week and again on Wednesday and all seems to have gone well.
The Steelers could definitely use a boost when it comes to their pass rush. Jones has only played 10 quarters of football this season and sadly is only 2.5 sacks behind team-leader Jason Worilds (4.5) for the team lead.
It will be interesting to see how the snaps are divided up on Sunday with Jones’ return.
James Harrison was signed shortly after the Jones injury and played all but three snaps last week. However, the 36-year old has struggled for most of the season in terms of getting pressure on the quarterback and is pass coverage other than a productive two-game spurt against the Colts and Ravens.
Jones has struggled to get to the quarterback consistently during his brief NFL career to date, but the Steelers pass rush needs a spark and turning to the second-year pro may be the only option left on the table.
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