It's been a five-month saga, but with the weekend finally came the good news: Ladarius Green has been activated by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The team announced Green's activation on Saturday. NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported that the tight end will play Sunday against the Cowboys.
Signed as a free agent to a four-year, $20 million contract in the offseason, the rangy tight end has spent the entire season on the physically unable to perform list due to what was listed as an ankle injury, though NFL Network's Aditi Kinkhabwala reported the cause was instead headaches.
Green began practicing with the Steelers on Oct. 25, saying everything was "progressing." A week later, Mike Tomlin was raving in a Tuesday press conference, saying Green "had a really good week last week." Evidently, Green has progressed enough in two and a half weeks to make his debut in the black and gold.
The Steelers will welcome Green into their offense that has had to rely on a variety of pass-catching targets for much of the season due to injuries and suspensions. Jesse James is listed at the Steelers' No. 1 tight end, but there's a reason Pittsburgh spent $20 million on Green. We expect to see that explained in the coming weeks, though it's likely the Steelers will gradually work Green into the offense.
