It sounds as if the Pittsburgh Steelers could be without outside linebacker Anthony Chickillo for a period of time. We aren’t going to speculate about Chickillos’ longterm future right now (but we will), however for this week’s game against the Miami Dolphins, Pittsburgh may need to come up with a Plan B in case they aren’t able to dress Chickillo for the game.
Chickillo was arrested over the weekend on a multitude of charges stemming from an incident with his girlfriend.
If we assume that even for one week Chickillo is on the shelf until things get sorted out, the matter of a football game against the Miami Dolphins still exists. And for better or worse the Steelers need depth at outside linebacker. So if Chickillo isn’t available the Steelers’ options are limited.
First up we have Ola Adeniyi. He’s been on the roster since the start of the season but with only 38 defensive snaps has had zero impact. Adeniyi impressed in the preseason but this hasn’t translated to the regular season as of yet.
If Chickillo isn’t going to be available, Pittsburgh could opt to sign Jayrone Elliott back to the 53-man roster. Like Adeniyi he’s athletic and shows promise but has no regular-season resume.
Any scenario where Pittsburgh is hoping Chickillo is able to be on the roster illustrates the lack of depth at outside linebacker. Look for a heavy workload for T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree again along with fewer linebackers on the field if they cannot count on Chickillo.
