Steelers receiver Pittman aggravates foot, out weeks

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  Brooke PryorOct 8, 2026, 12:53 PM ET

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  Brooke Pryor is a reporter for NFL Nation at ESPN who has covered the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2019. She previously covered the Kansas City Chiefs for the Kansas City Star and the University of Oklahoma for The Oklahoman.

PITTSBURGH -- Steelers wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. aggravated a foot injury in Wednesday's practice, and he will likely be sidelined "multiple weeks," coach Mike McCarthy said Thursday.

Pittman had been dealing with plantar fasciitis in his left foot, which led him to miss the Week 2 game against the New England Patriots. The receiver was spotted using a scooter to keep weight off his left foot in the locker room following Wednesday's practice.

"It's the same foot, so it's going to be a multiple-week injury," McCarthy said. "We're still going through the evaluation of his roster position."

The Steelers landed the veteran Indianapolis Colts receiver for a late-round pick swap in a March trade and subsequently signed him to a three-year, $59 million extension. The 2020 second-round pick was productive and versatile in six seasons with the Colts, posting two 1,000-yard seasons. Pittman, though, hasn't been productive early on in his tenure in Pittsburgh, catching just seven passes on 12 targets for 89 yards. The 29-year-old also missed a large chunk of training camp with a separate, undisclosed injury.

Pittman's aggravated foot injury comes as the Steelers prepare to face his former team Sunday -- an occasion quarterback Aaron Rodgers pointed out in his Wednesday news conference.

"We'd love to get Pitt involved, especially this week, being his former team, but there's going to be opportunities for a lot of guys," Rodgers said.

That rings especially true with McCarthy's assertion that Pittman will miss multiple weeks. Without Pittman, the Steelers will lean more heavily on third-year receiver Roman Wilson and rookie Germie Bernard. Wilson, who was largely uninvolved in the offense during his first two seasons, has become one of Rodgers' go-to targets. He caught touchdown passes in Weeks 3 and 4, marking the first time in his career that he recorded touchdown receptions in consecutive games. Wilson, a 2024 third-round pick, has 14 receptions on 24 targets for 188 yards and is averaging 13.4 yards per reception as a field-stretching target.

"Roman has a second gear that you love to utilize as much as you possibly can," McCarthy said Thursday, adding that Wilson has improved his route-running.

Bernard, a second-round pick out of Alabama, has seven receptions on 11 targets, including eight against the Patriots, for 60 yards.

"Germ has been balling since he first got here," wide receiver DK Metcalf said. "Big kudos to him and his preparation, because like I told him, it's very difficult trying to learn the signals and the offense as well. He's done a hell of a job."

While the Steelers offense will be down at least one piece -- and possibly more with Rico Dowdle continuing to miss practice after twice dislocating a toe in the loss to New England -- the defense could soon be getting a boost. The Steelers opened the 21-day practice window for DeShon Elliott to return from injured reserve. Elliott, a physical and hard-hitting safety, sustained a season-ending knee injury in Week 8 of the 2025 season. While he participated in training camp and played in a preseason game, Elliott was placed on injured reserve after the Steelers ultimately decided he needed more time before playing in the regular season.

McCarthy also said he saw encouraging signs from starting cornerback Jamel Dean, who exited the Thursday night loss to the Browns with an ankle injury. McCarthy said Dean told the athletic training staff he felt better than expected on Monday. Even so, the cornerback didn't participate in Wednesday's practice.

To supplement the waning cornerback depth, the Steelers signed Sean Murphy-Bunting off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' practice squad and Terrell Smith off the Washington Commanders' practice squad.