Ben Roethlisberger was unable to practice with the Pittsburgh Steelers due to being placed on the COVID-19 reserve list. While he wasn't able to practice with his teammates, Roethlisberger revealed that he spent the week teaching pre-K.
“I’m doing great,” Roethlisberger said in his media session Saturday. “My body enjoyed the week off. My mind from teaching pre-K did not enjoy the week off. It was fun to be home with them, but I definitely missed the guys.”
Following last Sunday's narrow win over the Dallas Cowboys, it was shared that Vance McDonald produced a positive COVID-19 test. In addition, Roethlisberger was listed as a close contact with McDonald and would need to isolate away from the team.
Despite not being able to practice with the offense, Mike Tomlin was confident that Roethlisberger would suit up in Week 10. For the veteran quarterback to have a chance to play, he would need to have five consecutive days of negative tests.
And on Saturday morning, the Steelers activated Roethlisberger from the COVID-19 reserve list, paving the way for him to start against the Bengals. Even though he lost reps with his pass-catchers, Roethlisberger appreciates having all week to take care of his body.
Earlier this season, Pittsburgh was forced to take an early bye week due to the Tennessee Titans having issues with COVID-19. But with him being in close proximity to McDonald, Roethlisberger essentially got another bye week.
With injuries being a concern in recent seasons and with him being 38 years old, an extra week off could be a blessing in disguise for Ben Roethlisberger. Plus, while he wasn't facing the tough defense of the Steelers in practice, he was still being challenged mentally this week.
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