Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is making positive strides in his recovery from a surgically repaired right elbow, general manager Kevin Colbert said Thursday.
Roethlisberger, who will turn 38 next month, underwent surgery on Sept. 23 to repair the season-ending injury he sustained in a Week 2 game against the Seattle Seahawks. Colbert would not address if Roethlisberger had Tommy John surgery but said the quarterback remains on pace in his rehab and has a checkup scheduled for Feb. 21 in Los Angeles.
“All signs are good at this point, and where that goes, we’re hopeful he can make a complete recovery,” Colbert said. “As of right now, he’s on schedule for that. Where it goes from here remains to be seen.”
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Thursday that the Steelers still are expected to take it slow with Roethlisberger during the spring.
Roethlisberger completed 56.5 percent of his passes for 351 yards with no touchdown passes and one interception in two games last season.
The 16-year veteran has thrown for 56,545 yards with 363 touchdown passes and 191 interceptions in 218 games (216 starts). Roethlisberger guided the Steelers to Super Bowl titles after the 2005 and 2008 seasons, and he made another Super Bowl appearance after the 2010 campaign.
Also on Thursday, Colbert addressed the status of injured linebacker Ryan Shazier. The two-time Pro Bowl selection has been sidelined since sustaining a severe spinal injury in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals in December 2017.
“When you’re dealing with Ryan, you’re not dealing with a timetable,” Colbert said. “You’re dealing with a guy trying to resurrect his career.”
Shazier has played in 46 games (41 starts) for Pittsburgh, registering 299 tackles, 25 passes defensed, 18 quarterback hits, seven sacks, seven forced fumbles and seven interceptions.
