Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier has made tremendous progress since undergoing spinal surgery to repair the serious injury he suffered against the Cincinnati Bengals last season. He’s out of the hospital and is already working his way toward walking on his own power in a relatively short span of time.
But regardless of what happens with Shazier’s progress moving forward, Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert has confirmed that the linebacker will take no part in the Steelers’ 2018 season, according to ProFootballTalk’s Josh Alper.
This news shouldn’t be the least bit surprising given the severity of Shazier’s injury. He’s still not even able to walk by himself, so to think that he could return and compete in an actual NFL game in just a few months’ time seems close to impossible.
And even if Shazier does somehow work his way back into reasonable shape, Colbert and the Steelers obviously have his long-term health in mind. After such a serious injury, they would prefer him to take every precaution and fully rehabilitate before he even considers stepping back onto the field.
Shazier has recently stated that he really is planning on coming back to resume his NFL career, and he plans to continue playing at a very high level. That's obviously a very lofty goal, especially considering some were wondering whether he would even walk again in the aftermath of his injury. He seems committed to it, though, and with the speedy progress he's already made, it might not be completely out of the question.
But even if he does succeed and get back on the gridiron one day, it likely won’t be anytime soon. The Steelers will make sure of that, which is probably for the best.
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