He was one of the most underrated additions the Pittsburgh Steelers made this offseason, but Sebastian Joseph-Day’s time with the Black and Gold could get off to a slow start thanks to an injury suffered late in spring workouts.
According to Post-Gazette Steelers beat writer Ray Fittipaldo, the veteran free agent defensive lineman was “nicked up” at the end of spring workouts and may not be ready to go after the Steelers report to training camp early next week.
“I think he’s an established guy in the league, a good role player. He could play inside, he could play outside. He got a little bit nicked up at the end of the spring. So, I’ll be watching the PUP list,” Fittipaldo said Friday of Joseph-Day on 93.7 The Fan’s Pomp and Joe Show, according to audio via 93.7 The Fan. “Maybe he’s on there with [Broderick] Jones. Maybe it was just a minor thing, but that happened at such a late juncture of the spring that we never really got an update on him.”
It’s unclear what the issue is, but it’s concerning to hear Joseph-Day was dealing with something at the end of spring workouts, and with time off between minicamp and the start of training camp there hasn’t been any updates on him.
The Steelers signed Joseph-Day to a two-year deal in hopes of him providing great depth to a relatively young defensive line group that will lean heavily on second-year pros Derrick Harmon and Yahya Black, as well as fourth-year pro Keeanu Benton and the ageless Cameron Heyward.
“Listen, if he’s healthy, he’s gonna be part of that strong six [or] seven-man rotation that they plan to roll out there,” Fittipaldo added. “He can play nose, can play three [tech], can play five [tech]. Those are the types of guys that you want when you sign veteran defensive linemen.”
Hopefully, as Fittipaldo said, it’s nothing major and Joseph-Day’s fine for the start of training camp. If not, it’s worth watching to see if he lands on the PUP list and potentially joins offensive tackle Broderick Jones there to open camp.
If he’s good to go, it will be exciting to watch Joseph-Day because the Steelers are counting on him as dependable depth in the trenches. He can play up and down the line of scrimmage and is a proven commodity at this point in his NFL career.