Pittsburgh Steelers rookie outside linebacker Jarvis Jones could miss his first rivalry game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Jones suffered a concussion during last week's win over the New York Jets, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Jones must pass the league-mandated concussion protocol before being cleared.
The rookie participated in an "exercise challenge" Thursday, which is part of the process. Jones said he was injured on a kickoff in last week's win, but the Steelers said they weren't alerted of his symptoms until Monday.
Jones took over the starting right outside linebacker duties after Week 1. The rookie has been up and down this season in Dick LeBeau's defense. He has improved against the run, but he still struggles to diagnose plays and get off blocks. Jones (29th) sits behind teammate Jason Worilds (27th) in Pro Football Focus's 3-4 outside linebacker rankings.
UPDATE: Jones practiced fully on Friday and is listed as questionable for Sunday's game, according to the Steelers' injury report, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. However, Jones told reporters he didn't participate in team drills. The linebacker said he still has to pass other phases of the concussion protocol, but he was positive about his chances of playing.
"I'm clearly fine now," he said. "I'm just getting back to the basic things and just trying to prepare myself for this big game on Sunday."
The latest Around The League Podcast discussed the NFL's most impressive rookies.
