Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin offered updates on a pair of edge rushers recovering from injuries on Monday.
Alex Highsmith did not play in the preseason after suffering a groin injury during a training camp practice, but is back on the field as August winds down and Tomlin made it sound like he’ll be ready to go for the Jets in Week 1.
“I like his level of competition and participation,” Tomlin said, via the team’s website. “I think he was almost a full participant today, and so it’s moving in the right direction.”
Nick Herbig’s outlook is a bit cloudier. He’s been dealing with a hamstring injury he suffered in the team’s second preseason game and Tomlin said “we’ll know as we get closer to it” if Herbig is able to play in the opener.
Rookie quarterback Will Howard has been out with a hand injury and Tomlin said he’s close to making a full return to practice. The sixth-round pick is behind Aaron Rodgers and Mason Rudolph on the team’s depth chart.
Aaron Rodgers wasn’t a member of the Steelers when the NFL schedule was released, but it felt likely enough to happen that most people took note of where the league had the Steelers opening the season.
They’ll be at MetLife Stadium to face the Jets on September 7, which sets Rodgers up to play his former team. During an interview with Adam Schein of Mad Dog Sports Radio, Rodgers said he was “thankful for the couple of special moments” he had with the Jets and expressed his wish that “it had gone differently up there” before saying that he wasn’t putting any extra import in facing his previous club.
“Probably nowhere near where it might be made out,” Rodgers said. “A lot has changed over there — coaching staff wise, player wise. Obviously I have friendships over there, but it’s one game out of 17. At 5 o’clock eastern on that Sunday, it’s only going to be on to the next game. That’s just the way it is.”
Rodgers isn’t the only quarterback who will be facing familiar faces in Week 1. Jets quarterback Justin Fields opened last season as the Steelers’ starter, so there will be similar feelings on both sides of the ball.
Jets wide receiver Allen Lazard has missed time with a shoulder injury this summer, but he gave a positive update on his condition on Monday.
Lazard said, via Brian Costello of the New York Post, that he will practice on Monday and that he is on track to play in the season opener against the Steelers. Lazard was injured in the team’s first preseason game.
The Jets signed Lazard to a four-year deal ahead of the 2023 season and he had 60 catches for 841 yards and seven touchdowns the last two years. He agreed to a pay cut this offseason to remain with the team.
Lazard joins Tyler Johnson, Josh Reynolds, and fourth-round pick Arian Smith in the mix for playing time alongside Garrett Wilson at receiver for the Jets.
The Jets expect quarterback Tyrod Taylor to be ready to go for Week 1 and they parted ways with another backup to Justin Fields on Sunday.
Adrian Martinez was one of six players waived off of the 90-man roster. Martinez was 30-of-51 for 352 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions in the preseason this year.
The Jets also released linebacker Jamin Davis. The 2021 Commanders first-round pick joined the team late last season after seeing time with Washington and Minnesota.
Defensive end Michael Fletcher, tackle Liam Forandel, tight end Zach Kuntz, defensive back Tanner McCalister, and running back Lawrance Toafili were the other players waived on Sunday.
Kansas City is bringing back a familiar face.
Per Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, the Jets are trading defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi to the Chiefs.
New York and Kansas City are swapping conditional 2027 sixth and seventh-round picks to complete the deal.
Nnadi, 29, had been with the Chiefs for his entire career before signing with the Jets as a free agent this offseason. A third-round pick in 2018, Nnadi has appeared in 115 games with 87 starts. He appeared in all 17 games with one start for Kansas City last season, playing 20 percent of defensive snaps.
