After missing most of the 2019 season following elbow surgery, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is now “throwing without pain.”
It’s a huge development for the veteran, who shared an update on his rehabilitation efforts with Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Roethlisberger said he’s confident he will be able to come back and play well, and that he’s throwing pain-free for the first time “in years.”
“I have no doubts I’m going to be able to come back and play well — none,” Roethlisberger said. “I have complete confidence in that. I’m throwing without pain for the first time in years. Some games, I would have a little pain. Some games, I would have a lot of pain. But in the New England game and the Seattle game [last season], it got to be too much. To be able to throw without pain now? That feels nice. That’s a nice feeling. I know I’m not getting any younger, but I feel younger because I don’t have any pain.”
Recently, Roethlisberger started throwing footballs for the first time since his surgery last September. Clearly, his recovery is going extremely well based on the comments above.
This is big news for the Steelers, who have a championship-caliber defense and could be one of the best teams in the league once again in 2020 if Big Ben can stay healthy. At this point, Roethlisberger is still not cleared to practice, but that next step appears to be coming soon enough.