The Pittsburgh Steelers received great news for their game against the Kansas City Chiefs as four players returned to practice and seem like they have a real shot of playing.

George Pickens was a full participant at practice, and it seems he will play with only one hurdle left to clear in the medical evaluation. That was the first time since the injury that Pickens had been a full participant in practice.

Meanwhile, safety DeShon Elliott, cornerback Donte Jackson, and defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi were all full participants. They seem on track to play against the Chiefs, too. Elliott and Ogunobi missed the last two contests because of their injuries.

Quarterback Justin Fields returned to practice for the first time since suffering an abdominal injury against the Philadelphia Eagles. Fields could play against the Chiefs. or be listed as the third quarterback.

Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and wide receiver Ben Skowronek, injured against the Ravens, did not practice and seem on track to miss the team’s game against the Chiefs.

Meanwhile, linebacker Tyler Matakevich popped up on Sunday with a knee issue, but he practiced fully on Monday and will play.

Pittsburgh Steelers’ blazing-fast cornerback expected back against Kansas City Chiefs

The Pittsburgh Steelers expect cornerback Donte Jackson to play against the Kansas City Chiefs. After practicing on Monday, Jackson said that his back feels good and that he expects to be out there on Wednesday.

Jackson missed his first game of the season on Saturday with a pinched nerve in his lower back. That injury is painful, as it can shoot pain around his body if Jackson makes one wrong move. However, he does expect to play after it calmed down after a week of rest.

On the play where he aggravated the injury, Jackson was trying to get off a block by Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown, but he twisted in a way that caused a flare-up of the pinched nerve.

Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin said the team would act like James Pierre and Cory Trice would be the starters, but the ‘hot hand’ between the two would start if either Jackson or Joey Porter Jr. were available.

“I think those guys did a good job. We went into the game with the idea we were going to kind of alternate those two guys and not overload either one of them, but circumstances had it where they had to play and I thought they both — while not perfect, both really competitive, both really gave us some good snaps. So we’ll move into this week with the idea they both have to play. Whoever has the hot hand will probably see more reps than the other,” Austin said.

Jackson has not been the top cornerback on the team in any matchup, but will have to be this week. Still, it is unlikely to see him face someone like DeAndre Hopkins, but rather work against Xavier Worthy and Hollywood Brown due to his speed.