It’s every rookie professional athlete’s worst nightmare; suffering an injury during an insignificant preseason game. On Saturday night, the much-heralded Steelers rookie offensive lineman, David DeCastro, knows what it’s like to live that nightmare.
Two possessions into the Steelers’ first offensive stand of Saturday’s game against the Buffalo Bills, DeCastro’s right leg buckled, leaving the Stanford grad writhing in pain on the field after the play.
Post-game analysis shows that DeCastro’s right knee is dislocated, his medial collateral ligament is torn, and to top it all off, his patellar ligament is partially damaged, according to espn.com.
News broke today that DeCastro will get surgery on Wednesday and as of now, is expected to miss three-to-five months. The Steelers did say that they will not place DeCastro on the injured reserve list at this point.
The MCL is located along the knee joint, and its primary purpose is to keep that joint from widening beyond its “comfort zone.” Injuries to the ligament make putting pressure on the affected knee incredibly painful. While the severity of the injury can sometimes vary, typically a tear can be treated with plenty of rest and physical therapy. The worst case situation for DeCastro, such is the case, would be surgery.
DeCastro spent four years as a member of the Stanford Cardinal. After redshirting his freshman year, DeCastro started every game between 2009 and 2011. The lineman managed to stave off injuries the entire time.
The Steelers had hoped DeCastro’s presence would help improve an offensive line that has, for the most part, struggled mightily in past years. For now, Steeler Nation will patiently await the return of their rookie big man as Ramon Foster will take over at guard, and keep their fingers crossed that DeCastro is more towards the three months instead of the I.R.
Photo Credits: Associated Press
