Pittsburgh Steelers EDGE rusher Jack Sawyer offered a worrying update about Sebastian Joseph-Day, who's currently on the reserve/injured list with a triceps injury.
Sawyer told Gerry Dulac on 102.5 WDVE's "Chalk Talk" that while the Steelers are "looking forward" to Derrick Harmon's eventual return from IR, there's a chance Joseph-Day misses the rest of the season.
"Obviously, we're looking forward to getting Derrick back. It sucks we're not gonna be able to get Sebastian back for- maybe at all," Sawyer said.
Head coach Mike McCarthy stated last week that he thought, "they'll all have a chance to come back," when referencing Pittsburgh's players who are on IR.
If Sawyer's comments are any indication, however, Joseph-Day's odds of a return in 2026 are up in the air.
Joseph-Day signed a two-year, $11 million deal as a free agent with the Steelers this past offseason.
He was a little banged up during training camp and did not play throughout the preseason, though he was back on the field and ready to go by the time Week 1 rolled around.
Joseph-Day was on the field for 111 defensive snaps through Week 6, which made up 29 percent of Pittsburgh's total reps on that side of the ball (per Pro Football Reference ), and he logged 10 tackles with a fumble recovery over that span.
The 31-year-old was later placed on IR ahead of the team's Week 7 matchup with the New Orleans Saints in Paris, however.
Sep 27, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day (69) recovers a fumble during the fourth quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Joseph-Day will miss four games at the absolute minimum while on IR, meaning he isn't eligible to be activated until Week 12 regardless of his status.
Given Sawyer's comments, though, Joseph-Day's timeline for a return now appears to be stretched out.
The exact nature of his injury isn't yet known, but it seems like it's rather significant if there's even a chance that he won't play again this season.
As a key rotational piece, potentially losing Joseph-Day for the remainder of the campaign would deliver a blow to a Steelers' defense that's emerged as one of the league's elite units .
Pittsburgh has an impressive amount of talent and depth along the interior of its defensive line. While it's not ideal, it could likely withstand a long-term absence of Joseph-Day.
Cameron Heyward and Keeanu Benton have both played at a high level this season. The same could be said for Harmon before he went down with a foot injury in Week 4, and the hope is that he's back sooner rather than later now that he can technically be activated from IR after missing the minimum of four games.
Yahya Black has also excelled at nose tackle, and sixth-round rookie Gabriel Rubio has stepped up in a big way, playing 70 defensive snaps over the Steelers' last four games.
Even undrafted rookie Kevin Jobity Jr. has gotten into the mix since Joseph-Day landed on IR, garnering 25 defensive snaps over the past two weeks and recording his first sack in the team's Week 8 win over the Cleveland Browns.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/steelers/onsi as Jack Sawyer Shares Worrying News on Steelers' Sebastian Joseph-Day .
