Darrius Heyward-Bey: Nothing wrong with Ben Roethlisberger’s arm

Ben Roethlisberger has missed the past four games with an MCL sprain, but wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey isn’t worried about his readiness to play this Sunday against the Bengals.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has missed the past four games with an MCL sprain, but wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey isn’t worried about Roethlisberger’s readiness to play this Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.

“I don’t know what (his knee is) feeling, but I do know he's throwing the ball well,” Heyward-Bey said with a laugh, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “His arm’s definitely all right.”

Roethlisberger practiced with the team on Thursday for the second day in a row. He did not seem to have any problems with his leg, which was injured during the Steelers’ Week 3 game against the St. Louis Rams. He is expected to start on Sunday.

Offensive coordinator Todd Haley was similarly unconcerned that the time off would hinder Roethlisberger’s return to the field.

“Obviously, it’s a potential issue when a guy hasn’t played a bunch, but as we said at the start of the week, we have to get on track fast,” Haley said. “That takes everybody. That means everybody needs to make plays when they get an opportunity.”

In his first three starts of the season, Roethlisberger led the Steelers to a 2–1 record by throwing 912 yards for four touchdowns with a 75.3% completion rate. Pittsburgh has gone 2–2 in his absence.

The Steelers (4–3) play the Bengals (6–0) at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday in Pittsburgh.

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- Erin Flynn