Tight end Vance McDonald was re-instated to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 53-man roster Thursday, the day his exemption from being on the reserve/covid-19 list expired.
A coronavirus test McDonald took while the Steelers were in Dallas on Nov. 8 came back positive the following day, and he has been isolated from teammates since. McDonald returned to practice Tuesday, the same day the Steelers added another tight end, Kevin Rader, to the active roster.
The Steelers are scheduled to play the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. The game initially was scheduled for Thursday night but was postponed after several members of the Ravens organization tested positive.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin subsequently gave the Steelers the day off for Thanksgiving. The league still mandated an injury report be released, so the Steelers kept their same statuses from Wednesday.
Reserve running backs Jaylen Samuels (quadriceps) and Trey Edmunds (hamstring) were given “did not practice” designations. Edmunds was placed on injured reserve as the corresponding roster move to make room for McDonald.
Veteran cornerback Joe Haden (knee) appears to be the only starting player whose status remains in doubt when (if) the Steelers play Sunday. He did not practice Tuesday and was limited Wednesday.
Others who were listed with injuries — quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (quadriceps), receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee), defensive lineman Cameron Heyward (ankle) and reserve linebacker Jayrone Elliott (illness) — practiced fully Wednesday. That label carried to Thursday.
The Steelers are expected to have their final practice of the week Friday, but with more positive tests reported from the Ravens, it is not a certainty the game will be played Sunday.
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