Bengals at Steelers injury report: John Ross limited; 3 Pittsburgh starting linemen sidelined

The Cincinnati Bengals are getting healthier, but certain players may not be healthy enough to face the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Rookie receiver John Ross continues to practice, but he was limited in Wednesday’s session. Since Ross has missed the last three games and four of his first five games, it’s very hard to see him playing in Week 7 without getting in at least one full practice. Since Friday is more of a walkthrough, Ross’ Week 7 status will largely be determined by how much work he gets Thursday.

The same is probably not true of starting cornerback Adam Jones, who was limited Wednesday as well, but he’s a veteran who can be limited in practice and still play on Sunday. Even though Jones’ play has been hit and miss this season, he has enough clout with this team to practice very little and still play, especially in a game as big as Bengals versus Steelers.

The only Bengals that didn’t practice Wednesday were Tyler Boyd and Ryan Hewitt. Neither is expected to play this week, which isn’t too big of a loss for the Bengals.

The Steelers may actually have several key starters out this week. Four starters were held out Wednesday, including three starting offensive linemen in Maurkice Pouncey, Ramon Foster and Marcus Gilbert. Losing one or more of them this week would be huge against a Bengals front seven that’s one of the best in football now that Vontaze Burfict is back in the lineup.

The lone defensive starter sitting out was Stephon Tuitt, who’s been excellent for the Steelers’ resurgent defense. Not having him would be a huge boost to the Bengals’ struggling offensive line.

Bengals at Steelers Wednesday Injury Report