Pittsburgh Steelers

Report: Headaches are the real reason Steelers TE Ladarius Green is out

Published Nov. 15, 2016 2:28 p.m. ET

Dan Graf

The Pittsburgh Steelers thought they were set at tight end when they signed Ladarius Green to a four-year, $20 million deal in March, but the reason he hadn’t yet practiced with them wasn’t entirely clear until Thursday.

NFL.com is citing a team source that says Green is sitting out with recurring headaches – not because he’s recovering from offseason ankle surgery, as was previously thought.

Green’s agent told NFL.com that his ankle is fine but wouldn’t comment on the reason the fifth-year pro was missing practices. The 26-year-old had a career-high 37 catches for 429 yards and four TDs last season with the Chargers and was expected to take over for Heath Miller, who had manned the position for 11 years before retiring this offseason.

But Green reportedly complained of headaches after suffering two concussions last September that were his second and third in a one-year span. He missed only one game with that problem and two with the ankle before having the surgery.

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who honored Miller by wearing his number on the first day of camp, had already been expressing concern over the Steelers’ tight end situation, but it now appears the problem could be more long-term than anyone thought.