PITTSBURGH -- Steelers running back Isaac Redman has rushed for just 12 yards on 10 carries and slipped to fourth on the depth chart.
The fourth-year veteran probably did not endear himself any further to the Steelers when he told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he returned to a Sept. 16 game at Cincinnati despite suffering a concussion at the beginning of it.
Redman said he told Steelers doctors he was "all right" so he could get back into the game. The Steelers have disputed Redman's claim and said the team followed NFL-mandated guidelines for players who may have suffered a concussion.
"Isaac was taken out of the game, and we announced that he was being evaluated for a concussion," the Steelers said in a statement. "He was then taken through the proper protocol by our medical staff and it was deemed he was cleared to return to action after multiple examinations. He then re-entered the game and saw action shortly thereafter and throughout the rest of the game."
An NFL spokesman said the league is satisfied with the Steelers' explanation and that it is not planning to look further into whether there were any breakdowns in its treatment of Redman.
Redman wobbled off the field after the opening kickoff in Cincinnati, allowing Felix Jones to start in his place at running back. Redman gained four yards on three carries in the Steelers' 20-10 loss and told the Post-Gazette on Thursday that, "I was pretty much out of it the rest of the game. I had a concussion. I said I was all right."
Redman was not available both times the Steelers' locker room was open to the media on Thursday. He opened the season as the Steelers' starting running back, but he appears to be the odd man out with rookie Le'Veon Bell expected to make his NFL debut Sunday when the Steelers play the Minnesota Vikings in London.
Redman is unlikely to dress against the Vikings unless a setback would prevent Bell from returning from a mid-foot sprain that he sustained on Aug. 19.