Steelers Promote WR for Week 1, Place Injured Draft Pick on IR: Report

Getty The Pittsburgh Steelers have elevated wide receiver Ben Skowronek ahead of Week 1.

Two Pittsburgh Steelers roster moves were reported on September 7 ahead of their Week 1 matchup with the Atlanta Falcons.

“The Steelers put DL Logan Lee [calf] on IR and elevated WR Ben Skowronek from the practice squad,” Steelers insider Jim Wexell relayed on X. Adding: “Ske-RON-ick is 6-3, 220 with 33 1/4 arms who could also see time as a punt gunner. He was an R7 pick by the [Los Angeles] Rams in 2001 and caught 58 passes for 575 and 1 TD in three seasons. Also played fullback.”

Of note is that Wexell — among others — reported this as a practice squad “elevation” for Skowronek, not an official signing to the 53-man roster despite Lee freeing up a spot.

Lee, a sixth-round selection this spring, barely survived the roster cutdown according to most assertions. He’ll now have at least four weeks of rehab as he watches and learns in meeting rooms and practice.

Steelers Will Likely Utilize Ben Skowronek on Offense & Special Teams

Skowronek was always the likely Week 1 elevation for two reasons.

One, there is an obvious need at wide receiver this weekend. With Roman Wilson officially ruled out against the Falcons, the Steelers only had four playable wide receivers on the roster before this elevation. So, a minimum of one reinforcement was expected.

Two, Skowronek’s ability and experience as a core special teamer make him the obvious choice over Quez Watkins and Brandon Johnson.

Aside from chipping in at receiver and fullback, Skowronek was a special teams ace of the Rams that logged over 560 ST snaps from 2021 through 2023. Wexell mentioned that the former seventh rounder can play gunner on punt coverage, but he’s also spent time contributing on other ST units like kick return, kick return coverage, punt return and field goal block.

That background makes him a plug-and-play asset for Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.

Per Wexell, “Skowronek attended Northwestern, but transferred to Notre Dame as a graduate student. In a game against Pitt, he caught TD passes of 34 and 73 yards. He caught 29 for 439 and 5 TDs in his only season at Notre Dame.”

Steelers Shorthanded Heading Into Week 1 Matchup

There’s no sugarcoating it — the Steelers are working through several injuries in Week 1. And if they’re going to pull off a road victory in Atlanta, they’ll need the healthy players to step up.

Quarterback Russell Wilson’s potential absence has stolen headlines ahead of Pittsburgh’s 2024 debut, but there are missing pieces all over the roster. The aforementioned Roman Wilson being one of them.

The other problem area has been the offensive line.

With projected starters Isaac Seumalo and Nate Herbig sidelined for varying degrees of time and versatile backup Dylan Cook on IR, the Steelers currently have limited depth on their blocking unit. They’re also forced to start rookie center Zach Frazier straight out of the gates.

Fortunately, rookie first rounder Troy Fauntanu was cleared to play on September 6. He’ll serve as a potential backup tackle or guard.

Throughout camp, there have been several injuries on the defensive side as well. But none as detrimental as the ones on offense.

The major Week 1 absences on defense are veteran cornerback Cameron Sutton — who is suspended for the first eight games of the season — and former fifth-round linebacker Cole Holcomb. The latter is still working his way back from a season-ending knee injury that he suffered in Week 9 of the 2023 campaign.