James Daniels injury update: Steelers OL receives official injury diagnosis

After their first loss of the season, the Pittsburgh Steelers received some less positive news regarding the offensive lineman James Daniels.

The guard was carted off the field in the first quarter of Sunday's Week 4 road contest against the Indianapolis Colts. It was initially reported that Daniels suffered an ankle injury and it was questionable whether he would be able to return Spencer Anderson takes his place. However, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler provided a shocking update on Monday morning.

“#Steelers starting guard James Daniels suffered a torn Achilles tendon against Indy on Sunday, per source,” Fowler reported. “He will be out for the season. A hard blow for a stable starter at the top.”

This is a huge blow to the Steelers offensive line, which is already dealing with a lot of injuries. Daniels, 27, had started 36 games for the Steelers since 2022, including every game in 2024. He had his best start in a Steelers jersey, earning an elite grade of 93.3 Professional football focus.

Now the Steelers will have to rely on their strength to make up the difference, but Daniels won't be easily replaced. Perhaps they will look outside the organization, but one thing is for sure: the offensive lineman will miss the remainder of the 2024 season as he recovers from a demoralizing injury.

Steelers S Minkah Fitzpatrick angers officials, NFL for personal foul penalty against Colts

In the meantime, the safety of the Pittsburgh Steelers is assured Minkah Fitzpatrick took action against the officials and the NFL over the personal foul penalty against him during the game against the Indianapolis Colts. After the game, Fitzpatrick spoke to reporters about the penalty that gave the Colts their third touchdown of the day.

“I thought we were playing football. I don’t know what we’re playing at this point,” Fitzpatrick said. “This is not the game I grew up playing and growing up with. You can't hit anyone hard.

Fitzpatrick was assessed a personal foul penalty for his hit on the Colts' rookie wide receiverAdonai Mitchell. The penalty came late in the third quarter and helped the Colts take a 24-10 lead over the Steelers. In the end, the Colts won a 27-24 victory over Pittsburgh.

The reason Fitzpatrick was upset was because he happened to be in contact with Mitchell. Officials said the Steelers safety hit a defenseless receiver, but the hit was shoulder-to-shoulder, not helmet-to-helmet. Aside from the penalty, Fitzpatrick had a strong day, recording nine tackles (six solo) in the loss.

On3's Nick Geddes and Brian Jones contributed to this article.