'We dodged a bullet': Schefter says OG Isaac Seumalo avoids season-ending chest injury (Updates)

UPDATE (6:57 p.m.): According to PPG's Gerry Dulac, Seumalo suffered a strained pectoralis, but not a full tear. Given the initial severity of the injury, this is the best-case scenario and puts him out of action for about a month, rather than most or all of the 2024 season.

UPDATE (4:07 p.m.)

According to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, Isaac Seumalo is expected to miss 4 weeks with his chest injury. The Steelers' first game is still a week and a half away, so we'll see if he can avoid a trip to the injured list or not. If that timeline works out, he could potentially be ready for the Week 4 game against the Indianapolis Colts. If he is placed on the injured list, he would have to miss at least four games.

Our original story can be found below.

It's still unclear how long Pittsburgh Steelers OG Isaac Seumalo will be out after reportedly suffering a chest injury during practice on Wednesday. But he won't miss the entire 2024 season. ESPN's Adam Schefter provided an update on Seumalo's health on Wednesday, tweeting: Seumalo will not miss this year.

“We dodged a bullet,” a source told Schefter.

There is no official timetable for how long Seumalo will be out, and it looks like he will be out for quite some time as the regular season begins in less than two weeks. Our Dr. Melanie Friedlander previously shared her thoughts on Twitter, saying the length of the outages will depend on the severity of Seumalo's injury.

With the worst-case scenario of season-ending now off the table, the four- to six-week timeframe seems more likely. This could be a similar situation to what TJ Watt suffered early in the 2022 season, when he suffered a torn pectoral muscle that didn't rob him of the entire season but cost him the first half. Watt was injured in Week 1 and returned in Week 10 after the Steelers had a bye in Week 9. A similar timeline could apply to Seumalo, as the Steelers also have a bye in Week 9 this year. And because of the position he plays, guard instead of outside linebacker, Seumalo may not require quite the range of motion as Watt, who also underwent minor knee surgery during that time.

Although it is pure speculation, Seumalo could perhaps return in Week 6 or 7, for games against the Las Vegas Raiders and New York Jets, respectively.

Pittsburgh was better prepared for Seumalo in training camp than any other healthy player this summer. He received five days off during the team's 16 practices and only half days during some other practices. He also did not play in the season opener and was the first lineman to miss games against the Buffalo Bills and Detroit Lions.

Pittsburgh knows how important Seumalo is to its success. The team relies on an improved offensive line to fuel its offense and may now have to spend part of the season without him. The good news is that Seumalo will likely return at some point this year. Until then, Spencer Anderson or rookie Mason McCormick will be used at left guard. Seumalo's injury could still require a placement on Injured Reserve, opening up a roster spot.