Plaxico Burress is likely done for the season and possibly done with his career. Burress was a casualty during training camp practice on Thursday after the Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver was carted off the field with a reported torn rotator cuff. NFL.com's Dan Hanzus reports that Burress camp up short on a pass and fell directly on his shoulder. It is likely to cost him the entire 2013 season.
Burress is a four-time 1,000-yard receiver. He is entering his 12th season in the NFL and at 35-years-old an injury like could force him to retire early. Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports 1 tweeted out that Burress had said this was likely his last season no matter what, but an early injury might force him to play one more season if he misses the entire year.
Burress was not expected to play a large role in the Steelers offense, but he was expected to be in the mix. The loss of the veteran leaves Pittsburgh empty handed. The team already said goodbye to leading receiver Mike Wallace who departed in the offseason due to free agency. Losing Burress leaves them even thinner at the position. Antonio Brown and Emmanuel Sanders are expected to be the starting wide receivers for the team with Jerricho Cotchery the backup, but that is not enough to get them through the season.
There is a good chance that the Steelers look outside the organization for help at the wide receiver position. They do not need a marquee name, just someone that will help add depth and put in a couple key snaps for the team.
At this point, the free agents that are considered the best available are Laurent Robinson, Brandon Lloyd or Deion Branch. Interest level has been very low on players like Lloyd and Branch but both would likely be willing to sign for a veteran's minimum like Burress was. They remained productive last season with the New England Patriots before not getting re-signed this offseason.
Robinson has visited a handful of teams in the last week for workouts. If the Steelers are looking to get quality to fill the roster spot of Burress, they will have to move quickly to get Robinson. He could be signed any day now. Most recently, Robinson worked out for the Detroit Lions and the Miami Dolphins.
Losing Burress is by no means a huge blow to the Steelers 2013 plans, but it could possibly free up a roster spot. There are still quality players available for cheap prices so the team should move fast.
