The Pittsburgh Steelers came out of their 26-19 overtime win at Tampa Bay on Sunday, October 18, with cornerback Brandin Echols nursing a hamstring injury, the most worrying item on a list that also touched their head coach, a safety and a tight end with a trip to Paris coming next.
Echols pulled up while blocking on the punt-return unit late in the first half and was ruled out for the rest of the afternoon. The club has not given a timeline. His absence matters because Pittsburgh is already thin at corner: he had been handling the slot, and Jalen Ramsey is still playing through a wrist injury. Ramsey finished the game anyway, ending overtime with a fourth-down sack.
Mike McCarthy spent halftime in the medical tent after his foot was stepped on along the sideline. He coached the whole second half and overtime and said afterward that he would be fine.
Coach McCarthy addresses the media following our win over the Buccaneers. @Acrisure pic.twitter.com/pVDOggXKpn
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) October 18, 2026
Who else was banged up
- Jaquan Brisker, safety (groin): went to the sideline for a short spell and came back to finish.
- Pat Freiermuth, tight end (calf): listed as questionable going in after a calf problem surfaced on Saturday, he aggravated it during the game, waved off the trainers and stayed in.
- Jamel Dean, cornerback: arrived banged up and sat out one early series, then returned and made the play of the fourth quarter, a 40-yard interception return to the Tampa Bay 2.
Pittsburgh also played without receivers Michael Pittman Jr. and Roman Wilson. Wilson went on injured reserve on Saturday with a finger injury and will miss at least four games.
What it means for Paris
If Echols cannot go, rookie Daylen Everette is the obvious candidate for more snaps after he intercepted Jalon Daniels in the fourth quarter. A secondary that has been patched together for weeks now has even less cover going into a game on the other side of the Atlantic, with the travel and a disrupted week of practice that come with it.
The first practice report of the week will show whether Echols, Freiermuth and Brisker can work. Every designation will be on the injuries page, and the box score is in the Game Center.
What comes next
The 4-2 Steelers face the New Orleans Saints at Stade de France in Saint-Denis on Sunday, October 25, at 9:30 a.m. EDT, the first NFL regular-season game played in France.
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