Ben Roethlisberger is on track to start Sunday night in Los Angeles. But Minkah Fitzpatrick, the other player on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ COVID list, will not have the same outcome. Speaking on the Mike Tomlin Show with Bob Pompeani last night, Tomlin ruled out Fitzpatrick for the Chargers’ game.
“Minkah will not be available to us,” Tomlin told Pompeani. “He will still be in the COVID protocol.”
It’s certainly not a surprising piece of news but confirmation of it. Fitzpatrick was placed on the Reserve/COVID list Monday. On Tuesday, Tomlin said he “did not anticipate” Fitzpatrick being able to clear protocol in time and throughout the week, players and coaches have talked about next-man-up, working under the assumption he wouldn’t return to the line.