Steelers must rebuild line after DeCastro suffers knee injury

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DeCastro

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

The Pittsburgh Steelers spent much of the offseason trying to build an offensive line that could keep franchise quarterback Ben Roethlisberger upright — and healthy — for an entire year.

In one squeamish sequence on Saturday night, the Steelers were forced to move on to Plan B.

Pittsburgh lost rookie guard David DeCastro to a gruesome right knee injury in the first quarter of an otherwise dominant 38-7 preseason win over the Buffalo Bills. The 24th overall pick in April’s NFL Draft was carted off the field with what coach Mike Tomlin termed a “potentially severe” injury.

DeCastro underwent an MRI on Sunday and while the team declined comment, it was obvious to his teammates he will be gone for an extended period of time.

“He was going to start for us,” linebacker Lawrence Timmons said. “I don’t know the outcome. It doesn’t sound like it’s good.”

ESPN reported DeCastro dislocated his kneecap and tore his medial collateral ligament but did not tear his anterior cruciate ligament, which would have ended his season.

The Steelers could place DeCastro on injured reserve — shelving him for the year — or see how his knee responds to treatment. Either way, he’ll be out for the foreseeable future.

It’s a major blow to a unit that Pittsburgh viewed as an issue after Roethlisberger hobbled his way through the final month of the 2011 season behind a line that struggled protecting him. The Steelers gave up 42 sacks — tied for ninth-most in the league — and Roethlisberger dealt with a series of health issues to his left leg after spraining his foot in a loss to Houston in early October.

DeCastro and fellow rookie Mike Adams — taken in the second round — were supposed to join All-Pro center Maurkice Pouncey and second-year tackle Marcus Gilbert as the core of one of the youngest and most highly touted offensive lines in the league. Instead, Adams is going through some very public growing pains and DeCastro — an All-American at Stanford while blocking for quarterback Andrew Luck — will spend an indefinite period in street clothes.

Pittsburgh will likely turn to veteran Ramon Foster to fill in at guard. It’s a return to the patchwork effort the Steelers have used in the past with mixed results.

A year ago, Max Starks was signed off the street a month into the season to try and hold things together. He’s at it again this season, signing just before training camp as insurance in case Adams had trouble.