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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger gave a symbolic nod to his return to action by getting a much-needed haircut. Fortunately, it appears wide receiver Ryan Switzer can confirm that there is some credence to the gesture.
Switzer was among the teammates Roethlisberger met up with for a recent throwing session. According to Mark Kaboly of The Athletic, he says the veteran was throwing without any restrictions:
Article Continues Below“Man, he let it rip … There was no restraint, no hesitancy, he was just out there. He has been throwing like that for a while and, in my opinion at least, getting out there on that field for the first time and throwing full-speed routes was refreshing. The control factor was taken out of it. He was out there and he was throwing. Did some off-schedule stuff. No restraints. He threw everything — across his body. Everything.”
“He worked like a workhorse this offseason in terms of getting with his trainer and getting with the guys he rehabs with … He really put the pedal to the metal. I don’t think he left any stone unturned. I think he exhausted all efforts to get back to 100 percent, and that’s just from on the outside looking in.”
This is certainly an encouraging update from Switzer considering it has been quite a long road back for Roethlisberger. Although his decision to trim the hair and beard in a public barbershop caught some criticism from the Pennsylvania governor, it appears that he is now indeed back to full health.
Like Roethlisberger, Switzer is also looking to bounce back from a lost 2019 campaign where he missed the bulk of the season due to injury. He has largely struggled to etch out an integral role for himself beyond special teams in Pittsburgh since arriving in 2018. Regardless, the fact that he was one of the few to attend the latest throwing session indicates that he could be primed for an elevated role this season.
It is no secret that the Steelers offense is in desperate need of some more firepower for Roethlisberger to work with. While there may be a few voids left to fill before the 2020 NFL season, they certainly have good reason to be confident in a potential resurgence now that their primary option is back under center.
