LATROBE, Pa. --Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Yahya Black suffered an arm injury at some point and did not practice on Tuesday.
Black was seen wearing an arm brace in Jacksonville on Saturday during the team’s preseason game. He wore it again on Monday. Head coach Mike Tomlin did not comment on Black’s ailment, or if he would practice on Thursday when the team hosts the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a joint practice.
Black, who started as the second-team base defensive end and carved out a path for himself to playing time, turned Tomlin’s head with his run-stuffing ability and motor. He played just 10 snaps on Saturday and impressed in those.
“I’ve been really impressed by his ability to chase the ball on screens and stuff being 336 pounds,” Tomlin said on SiriuxXM Radio.“Just his mindset regarding hustling is encouraging for a man that big. And so, part of it is the grocery shopping, but now it’s time to cook.”
General manager Omar Khan calls the shots, but Black’s ability to be a massive run-stuffer is what the team drafted him to do after the Baltimore Ravens pounced for 299 rushing yards against them in their Wild Card loss.
“He’s great. He’s been what we expect him to be,” Khan said on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “I think he’s only gonna get better. We feel fortunate that he was still there in the fifth round, and it was easy when we were on the clock.”
Black has a far way to go still as a pass rusher, but his instant ability to produce run defense is something the Steelers viewed as a necessity heading into this year, and he can bring that.
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