Former Steelers Guard David DeCastro Needs Surgery, Leaves Door Open to Possible NFL Return

The two-time All-Pro was released on Thursday.

CINCINNATI — The Steelers surprised a lot of people when they released guard David DeCastro on Thursday. 

The 31-year-old is still playing at a relatively high level. Unfortunately, ankle issues have him questioning his future. 

“I have to get surgery on my ankle a third time,” DeCastro told Joe Starkey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I tried to fix it last year but the bone spurs kept coming back. It nagged me pretty bad all last year.”

DeCastro played in 13 games last season, despite dealing with the ankle issue throughout the season. 

The former first round pick was still a high-end pass blocker. He didn't allow a sack according to Pro Football Focus. 

DeCastro's ankle is bad enough that he's at least open to retirement at this stage of his career. 

“Gotta see how the surgery goes,” he said. “But I’d have no problem calling it a day and moving on with my life.”

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Simple, direct and open ended. 

If surgery goes well and he feels like himself again, then there's no reason why he couldn't lineup at right guard for most of the teams across the league in 2021.

DeCastro is a question mark at this point. If he's healthy and fully cleared, he'll have plenty of teams lining up for his services.

If he's not satisfied with his health after a third ankle surgery, then the former first-rounder might've played his final snap. 

Read Starkey's entire piece on DeCastro here. 

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