Steelers' Ladarius Green: Says ankle is the issue

When asked Saturday if he was dealing with headaches as has been speculated, Green reiterated that the reason for his continued presence on the Steelers' PUP list is his ankle issue, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports. "I don't know what reports those are," Green, noted on the matter of his health. "I am still on PUP because of my ankle. I have still be rehabbing on my ankle, so I haven't been dealing with anything else but that."

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Moreover, the tight end -- who signed a four-year, $20 million contract with the Steelers in March -- went on to refute the notion that retirement has entered his mind at this stage, indicating that he continues to work toward a return to the field. On that front, Green acknowledges that he still has some work to do, with a specific timetable for his return not offered. "It is still weak," Green said of his surgically-repaired ankle. "But it is getting a lot better. The ankle still isn't 100 percent yet. It is still not there yet. There is still stuff I have to work on. There is still stuff I am pushing toward, but it is getting better." On the plus side, the report relays that Green indicates that he has been working out daily, with his activities including running routes, blocking and sprinting at full speed. With the regular season fast approaching, the Steelers will need to make a call on Green's roster status within the next couple of weeks. If he ends up on the team's regular-season PUP list, he'd miss at least six weeks of action. Such a potential outcome remains speculative however, with Green suggesting that at this time he is "just going to take it day-by-day."