Ben Roethlisberger activated off Covid-19 IR list on Saturday

Saturday update: The Steelers have activated Ben Roethlisberger off the Covid-19 IR list and he is set to play in Week 10.

Friday update: Mike Tomlin told the media he expects Roethlisberger to come off the Covid-19 IR list on Saturday, per Aditi Kinkhabwala. Tomlin is planning an extended walkthrough on Saturday to get Roethlisberger extra time with his teammates.

Thursday update: The Steelers plan is for Roethlisberger to take his first Week 10 practice snaps on Saturday. Mason Rudolph and Joshua Dobbs are both getting practice work, but the coaching staff is not indicating who has the lead at this point, per Brooke Pryor.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have placed four players on the Reserve/COVID-19 list on Tuesday. The group includes quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, offensive lineman Jerald Hawkins, running back Jaylen Samuels, and linebacker Vince Williams. They follow the team placing tight end Vance McDonald on the IR list on Monday.

The Steelers news release specifically states the players will be isolated five days and will need to pass COVID-19 tests throughout the week before they can potentially be eligible to return. This suggests they were labeled as high risk close contacts of McDonald. If they had tested positive, they would be absent a minimum of ten days.

Here’s the Steelers full news release:

The Steelers placed four players on the Reserve/COVID-19 List on Tuesday morning.

The four players include quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, offensive lineman Jerald Hawkins, running back Jaylen Samuels and linebacker Vince Williams. All will be isolated for five days and are not permitted in the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.

The players will need to pass COVID-19 tests throughout the week before they before they are potentially eligible to play against the Cincinnati Bengals one Sunday. The players are permitted to take part in virtual meetings.

The team placed tight end Vance McDonald on the Reserve/COVID-19 List on Monday evening.