Pittsburgh Steelers second-year linebacker Ryan Shazier had a coming out party on Sunday, showing why he was a first-round draft pick against the San Francisco 49ers.
However as the Steelers hit the road this week to take on the St. Louis Rams, they will have to be without Shazier, who is quickly becoming one of the Steelers best defensive players.
Shazier was all over the field against the Niners, finishing with 15 tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. For that effort though he got an injured shoulder. The injury is worse than originally thought and enough to keep the Ohio State product out of action for at least this week.
Shazier missed practice on Wednesday and on Friday the official word came down that he wouldn’t be able to go.
It’s a big loss for the Steelers defense as they not only need Shazier, but need him to play well as there are plenty of issues with the rest of the defense.
In addition to Shazier, second-year nose tackle Daniel McCullers has also been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Rams. Cornerback Cortez Allen is listed as questionable, while William Gay and Markus Wheaton are both probable.
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