Pittsburgh Steelers place Miller, 3 others on PUP List

Injuries were a big factor that led to a disappointing 8-8 season in 2012 for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2012.

Hopefully for their sake history won’t repeat itself in 2013.

Dec 23, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Heath Miller (83) drops a pass in front of Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Ray Maualuga (58) during the second half of the game at Heinz Field. The Bengals won the game, 13-10. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports

With that being said, four Steelers players will begin training camp unable to participate. That’s the bad news. The good news is that neither of those four are quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (knee surgery) nor offensive tackle Mike Adams (stabbing).

Steelers’ tight end Heath Miller, tight end David Johnson, linebacker Sean Spence and nose tackle Alameda Ta’amu will be placed on the active / physically unable to perform list, the club said Friday. Those were all moves that were expected to happen as the Steelers reported to Latrobe on Friday.

Miller, Johnson and Spence are all coming off of knee injuries suffered at various points in 2012. Ta’amu has a hamstring injury.

The one to keep an eye on is Miller.

The 30-year-old had a career season in 2012, catching 71 passes for 876 yards and eight touchdowns. He suffered an ACL and other ligament tears in December, but all signs point to him being way ahead of schedule in his rehab.

As it pertains to Adams, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said that the second-year tackle “has full clearance” to be able to play, which is remarkable considering he was stabbed during an alleged attempt to rob him on June 1.

In any case, some Steelers are starting the season already banged up.

Hopefully they won’t be joined by many others before camp ends.