Diontae Johnson, Anthony McFarland headline Steelers Week 2 injury report

Here’s a look at who’s popped up on the injury report for the Steelers ahead of their Week 2 matchup against the Browns.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are set to play their AFC North rivals on Monday Night Football in Week 2, kicking off from Acrisure Stadium at 8:15 p.m. ET. Getting that extra day of rest in between games, each team released their initial injury reports for Week 2 Thursday.

Here’s a look at the Steelers and Browns injury reports ahead of Week 2.

Steelers injury report: Week 2

DNP: WR Diontae Johnson

(hamstring), RB Anthony McFarland (knee)

Limited: OL Chukwuma Okorafor (concussion), OL James Daniels (ankle), TE Pat Freiermuth (chest), DT Larry Ogunjobi (foot)

There aren’t many surprises here for the Pittsburgh Steelers, having already been aware that Diontae Johnson was likely to miss some time with a hamstring suffered in Week 1. The biggest surprise here is RB Anthony McFarland, listed with a knee injury, coming off his best performance as a kick returner to date. On three opportunities, McFarland totaled 91 yards — perhaps one of the only bright spots this team had to offer in their Week 1 disaster against the 49ers.

HC Mike Tomlin noted optimism in his Tuesday press conference regarding the potential availability for those limited, particularly with the extra day they’ll have between Weeks 1 and 2 because of their appearance on Monday Night Football.

Browns injury report: Week 2

DNP: S Juan Thornhill (calf), DT Maurice Hurst (hamstring), DT Shelby Harris (Achilles), DT Siaki Ika (foot)

Limited: LT Jedrick Wills (foot)

Rest day: DE Myles Garrett, LG Joel Bitonio, LB Anthony Walker Jr., WR Amari Cooper

Outside of veterans getting their normal rest day, the Browns had a couple of players worth monitoring ahead of Week 2’s matchup. Notably, starting safety Juan Thornhill continues to sit out of practice, having also missed Week 1 with an injury — a sign that he might not have made the progress you’d like to see despite the rest, even though HC Kevin Stefanski has considered him “day-to-day”.

DTs Maurice Hurst, Shelby Harris, and Siaki Ika are all new additions to the injury report from last week. Ika, a 2023 third-round selection, has yet to make his NFL debut, but should Hurst and Harris be unavailable in Week 2, it’d be a big hit to the depth on the defensive line.

Just last week, the Browns lost starting right tackle Jack Conklin to a torn ACL, ending his 2023 season. Surely, Cleveland will hope this injury report clears up quickly and that they avoid any further hits.