Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday during his weekly press conference that the team is getting healthier as they prepare to play the Minnesota Vikings this coming Sunday over in London.
Tomlin said cornerback Cortez Allen (ankle) is expected to practice this week and the hope is he will be available to play Sunday after missing the last two games with an ankle injury suffered in the season opener.
“He is going to practice and his availability will be based on that participation,” said Tomlin. “We’re optimistic he is going to be able to play in this football game.”
Tomlin also said rookie running back Le’Veon Bell (foot) is expected to make his NFL regular-season debut against the Vikings. Bell perked up dramatically last week in practice, according to Tomlin.
“We’re excited about watching him be a full participant this week during the course of practice and let that dictate his play,” Tomlin said. “He has been doing a nice job of working from a rehabilitation standpoint. We’re optimistic about his availability. We’ll let the practice process be our guide in deciding how much work he gets in the football game.”
Defensive end Brett Keisel (hamstring) and nose tackle Steve McLendon (hamstring) are both nursing hamstring injuries right now but neither are expected to miss the game Sunday.
