Rashard Mendenhall Injury: Pittsburgh Steelers Must Not Rush RB's Return

The Pittsburgh Steelers lost Rashard Mendenhall to a hamstring injury for a good portion of their loss to the Houston Texans on Sunday, and they cannot rush his return. 

A hamstring injury is serious, because you don't want to put yourself out longer than you actually need to be. We've seen a good number of hamstring injuries this season, and if a player or team rushes the return, it could end poorly. 

Mendenhall hasn't been very affective this season, but the Steelers as a whole haven't been as good as we thought they'd be. Pittsburgh is 2-2 right now, and while their next three games look good on paper, you never really know these days. 

The Steelers have to face the Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars and Arizona Cardinals in the next three weeks, so really, they could afford to let Mendenhall rest for a week or two. The Titans are no guaranteed win like in years past, but it's a home game for the Steelers that they should win. 

However, a lot will depend on how healthy the Steelers are. Mendenhall isn't the only player banged up, as James Harrison and Ben Roethlisberger are also being monitored this week. 

Mendenhall is questionable for Week 5, and the decision on whether or not he'll play is likely to be decided later in the week based on if he practices or not.

Pittsburgh would be wise to bench him on Sunday to assure that he'll be OK for the rest of the season. The last thing they need is for their top running back to be out an extended period of time.

If Roethlisberger is out with a broken foot, the Steelers may feel they need Mendenhall to return, but it's still too big of a risk to take. 

There is plenty of time to make a decision, but in the end, Pittsburgh must not rush Mendenhall's return.