Getty Ben Roethlisberger will miss most of the 2019 season with an elbow injury
Ben Roethlisberger will miss the remainder of the 2019 NFL season with an elbow injury that required surgery. Roethlisberger sustained the injury early in the Steelers’ Week 2 matchup against the Seahawks. Pittsburgh did not release the specific details of the elbow injury but did announce that it required season-ending surgery to repair.
Despite retirement rumors, Ben Roethlisberger has emphasized that he plans to play next season. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin even implied that Roethlisberger would play out his contract which can extend through 2021, per ESPN.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said this past week that the details of Roethlisberger’s injury will be confirmed post-surgery based on what doctors find out in the process. Tomlin then cited Roethlisberger’s statement that he plans to honor his three-year contract that takes him through the 2021 season.
“He fully intends to come back from his injury, and everything we’ve heard, we’re comfortable that’s a strong possibility,” Tomlin said.
It has been a difficult season for the Steelers who were optimistic about Mason Rudolph being able to fill in during Roethlisberger’s absence. Rudolph later sustained a concussion that would sideline the quarterback prompting the Steelers to temporarily move to Devlin Hodges who was with the team during the preseason.
Roethlisberger Had a Procedure Done on His Elbow, But the Injury Did Not Require Tommy John Surgery
While Roethlisberger’s elbow did require surgery it was not as significant as the Tommy John procedure, per ESPN. The Steelers announced on September 23rd that Roethlisberger underwent “successful surgery” on his injured elbow. The statement also added a quick mention of Roethlisberger’s expectation to recover in time for the 2020 season.
Ben Roethlisberger had successful surgery on his right elbow on Monday in Los Angeles at the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic…
Once Ben returns to Pittsburgh, he immediately will begin working with the Steelers’ medical staff on his rehabilitation, and he is expected to make a full recovery and return to the field for the 2020 NFL season.
Steelers Players Admit They Miss the No-Huddle Offense That the Team Ran, at Times, With Roethlisberger
One of the things that Roethlisberger had success doing as the Steelers quarterback was running the no-huddle offense. Roethlisberger’s teammate offensive guard Ramon Foster admitted to The Athletic that he missed using the no-huddle.
“I’m ready for it,’’ Foster told The Athletic. “I miss the no-huddle. That was our bread and butter, that was our baby. You get defenses in predictable fronts, get them doing what you want them to, gas them. As long as you’re converting, it works. I looooove the no-huddle. I can’t stress that enough. If there’s any time to do it, I would think it would be now.”
We will see if the Steelers start to use it now that Rudolph is healthy, or if it is off the table until Roethlisberger returns in 2020. Those thinking that Rudolph may take over as the Steelers long-term quarterback starting this season seem to have had a wrong assumption.
All signs point to Roethlisberger being Pittsburgh’s QB1 for next season. The veteran quarterback has been on the Steelers sideline with a headset helping the team’s offense during games.