Michael Pittman Jr. is running again but has no date to return from injured reserve

Michael Pittman Jr. has started running again, but the Steelers receiver could not say this week when he will be back from injured reserve. Speaking to reporters on Monday, as the team began its bye week, Pittman said he would like to be back after the break, which would mean the Nov. 15 game at Cincinnati, and that he has been working through a gradual progression on a treadmill and then on flat and cleated surfaces, Teresa Varley wrote for the team's site.

He was careful not to promise it. "I can't go out there if I'm not effective," he said. The left foot problem that first showed up as plantar fasciitis after the season opener has since turned into something else, he said, without giving details, and surgery is not an option, TribLive's Chris Harlan reported.

Pittman has now missed the four games injured reserve requires, so he can be activated whenever the club decides he is ready. The Steelers put him there on Oct. 10, after he aggravated the foot in practice before the Colts game; coach Mike McCarthy said then that he would miss multiple weeks, according to SteelersNOW via WPXI. He also sat out Week 2 at New England with the same foot.

A short first season in Pittsburgh

The Steelers traded for Pittman in March and signed him to a three-year, $59 million extension, TribLive noted, expecting him to line up opposite DK Metcalf. He has played three games and has seven catches for 89 yards. In seven seasons with Indianapolis he topped 80 catches four times, with a best of 109 for 1,152 yards in 2023. Offensive coordinator Brian Angelichio said Pittman has kept attending meetings and working in the game plan while he rehabs.

Who has been catching the ball

The receiver room has been thin for a month. Roman Wilson went on injured reserve on Oct. 17 with a finger injury and, because the bye does not count toward the four games, cannot return before the Nov. 22 game at Philadelphia. Ben Skowronek (calf) practiced some before being inactive against Cleveland, and Bob Labriola wrote in the team's Nov. 3 mailbag that it is reasonable to expect him back in the mix in Cincinnati.

That has left rookie second-round pick Germie Bernard, the tight ends and the backs to carry the passing game. Bernard caught all five of his targets for 30 yards against Cleveland, the fifth straight week he has caught more than one pass, according to ESPN's player notes. Metcalf caught one of six targets for 4 yards in that game. Tight end Darnell Washington has 19 catches for 254 yards and three touchdowns through eight games.

The rest of the list

• Derrick Harmon (defensive tackle, foot) went on injured reserve on Oct. 5 and is eligible to return for the Bengals game.
• Sebastian Joseph-Day (defensive tackle, triceps) went on injured reserve on Oct. 22; ESPN's listing estimates his return around Nov. 27, against Denver.
• Brandin Echols and Doneiko Slaughter (cornerbacks, hamstrings) are listed out on ESPN's injury report, as is Skowronek.

The first practice report for the Bengals game comes next week. Whether Pittsburgh adds a receiver before the trade deadline, Tuesday at 4 p.m. Eastern, is the other open question; what the Steelers are expected to do. Prices for Sunday night, Nov. 15, are on the game page, and the roster and schedule are on the team page.