Pittsburgh Steelers Jarvis Jones a game-time decision
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Jarvis Jones (95) celebrates a tackle against the Tennessee Titans during the first half at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports
Pittsburgh Steelers rookie OLB Jarvis Jones suffered a head injury in last week’s win over the New York Jets, and the injury didn’t look severe. But later on during the week, Jones was officially diagnosed with a concussion after notifying the Steelers of concussion-like symptoms. Once he was diagnosed with a concussion, his Week 7 outlook was a bit bleak, but Jones was able to return to practice on Friday. He was tentatively expected to play once he started practicing, and he is officially questionable for today’s big rivalry game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reports what many of us expected, and that is that Jarvis Jones will be a game-time decision today. He seems healthy enough to play, but we don’t know if he has received “final clearance” from team doctors. In the last stage of the league’s concussion protocol, Jones will undoubtedly sit this one out if the Steelers find that he is exhibiting any symptoms whatsoever.
An important layer to this is the fact that Jones is a rookie, and the Steelers are likely going to be more cautious with him than anyone else. Plus, veteran backup Jason Worilds is somebody the Steelers trust to play, and Worilds is definitely ready for action against the Ravens. It’s easy to apply the “overhyped” tag to Jarvis Jones since the former Georgia star doesn’t have a sack this season, and it is certainly true that Jones hasn’t made the early impact as a pass rusher that we were hoping for. But he’s just a rookie with only five games under his belt, and I think he’s shown up well in run defense. The only upgrade the Steelers will be getting between Worilds and Jones is in pass coverage.
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