Plaxico Burress injury: Steelers WR has torn rotator cuff, per reports

Plaxico Burress might not be able to suit up for the Pittsburgh Steelers this year, as the 35-year-old may have torn his rotator cuff in practice.

by Rodger Sherman

Aug 9, 2013, 4:01 AM UTC

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Plaxico Burress could be done for the season, as Adam Schefter reports that the injury the Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver suffered in practice Thursday was a torn rotator cuff.

The 35-year-old who started his career in Pittsburgh was the favorite to be a backup to Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown, but now the team will have to look for other options. Third-round pick Markus Wheaton will be forced to step up, and now Penn State product Derek Moye has a much better chance of making the roster in the state where he played his college ball.

An initial sign of the severity of the injury was the fact that he needed to be carted off the field at practice, despite the injury being to his arm and not anything that would keep him from walking. Now, that makes sense: a torn rotator cuff causes a lot of pain in the shoulder area. In terms of sports, you hear about them most frequently among baseball pitchers, but a fall like the one Burress took while trying to make a catch can also cause the injury.

Burress was a mid-season signing last year, playing just four games, tallying three catches for 42 yards. But at 6'5, he was always going to be an option around the end zone -- one of his catches last year was a touchdown -- and with Mike Wallace gone, his role was expected to increase.

The man who sealed the Giants' Super Bowl win over the New England Patriots hasn't been the same since his accidental shooting incident that occurred midway through the 2008 season. A year removed from 1,025 yards and a team-high 12 touchdowns, he left the league and would not return until 2011 after serving prison time. He was alright for the New York Jets, with 612 yards and eight touchdowns, and his return to the team where he started his career had seemed like a reminder that he was no longer what he once was. If this injury derails his hope of earning a role in Pittsburgh, one wonders what's left of the former star's career.