Breaking News: DE Aaron Smith Injured, May Miss Significant Time for Steelers

In his weekly news conference, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin reported that Aaron Smith has injured his rotator cuff in his right shoulder, and it may require surgery.

Coach Tomlin described the injury as possibly "significant."

Smith is one of the best 3-4 defensive ends in the NFL, and he will certainly be missed if he has to miss significant time.

Smith was injured during the 2007 season, tearing the bicep in his right arm, and the Steelers defense suffered without him. The following week, the Steelers allowed Fred Taylor of the Jacksonville Jaguars to rush for 147 yards in a 29-22 loss.

The Steelers would also lose their two of their last three games, including a playoff loss to those same Jaguars, 31-29.

According to Coach Tomlin, 2009 first round pick Ziggy Hood is not quite ready to take over for Smith.

“He has played in just about every football game,” said Tomlin of Hood. “He has played on special teams in some games; he has had more defensive snaps in others. He played a pretty significant portion of the game this week. He is a young guy who is on the come. He has a lot of talent.

“He is not out of the oven yet, if you will, and we acknowledge that. He acknowledges that. As long as we continue to do that he will move in the right direction. He will continue along those lines in terms of participation.

“By no means is Ziggy Hood a potential replacement for Aaron Smith at this point. It will probably be a committee of bodies to try and fill that void.”