As expected, the Steelers announced that they will place LB Sean Spence on Injured Reserve, thus ending his chances of making a return this season. Spence had just a few weeks to show the coaching staff he was ready for the 53 man roster, only 14 months after tearing his ACL and LCL, dislocating his knee cap, and suffering damage to his peroneal nerve.

Spence suffered a broken finger almost immediately after returning to practice last month, which only hurt his limited chances of getting the all clear from coaches. The fact that he was on reserve/PUP to start the season speaks volumes about how far he’s come from such a serious injury. Hopefully we’ll see the young linebacker who was praised by coaches as being a quick student last year, back on the field next spring.