Max Iheanachor Mark Kaboly
Max Iheanachor Mark Kaboly
Pittsburgh Steelers first-round OT Max Iheanachor is returning to the practice field Monday after an injury suffered Aug. 6 at training camp practice, head coach Mike McCarthy confirmed via TribLive’s Chris Adamski on X.
Jalen Ramsey coming off PUP today.
Max Iheanachor going to practice today.
Per Steelers coach Mike McCarthy
— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) August 24, 2026
McCarthy initially shared that he would be returning after just one missed practice, but it didn’t work out that way. He suited up the following Monday just a couple days after the injury, but only did light individual work at the start of practice before they shut him down for the next two weeks.
As a result of the injury, Iheanachor missed the first two preseason games. Depending on how his body responds, he now has a good chance of playing in the preseason finale on Thursday in Buffalo.
Will Iheanachor be able to pick up where he left off at the start of camp? His chances of earning the starting job seemed low at the beginning of camp, but his first few days of padded practice were impressive before the injury derailed his progress.
Showing off his size, strength, and superior athleticism, Iheanachor handled the tough task of blocking T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and others very well with his early reps against them. Some reporters compared his start to camp to the likes of David DeCastro and Maurkice Pouncey, who both immediately hit the ground running in the NFL.
While he has likely missed too much time to have a shot at the Week 1 starting job, playing the preseason is valuable for him and the team. It’s much easier to project when he may take over as the starter with actual tape of his play against live competition.
Broderick Jones didn’t enter the starting lineup right away as a rookie. His first start came due to injury, and his permanent starting role came about as a result of Chuks Okorafor getting benched for allegedly saying something out of line to a coach on the sideline during a game. A strong preseason debut would help move the process along.