Ben Roethlisberger Could Play By Next Sunday, Continues Rehabilitation

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger could be ready to play by next Sunday when the Steelers take on the Baltimore Ravens.

According to reports, Big Ben has been rehabilitating his throwing arm on schedule and had been testing out his range of motion earlier in the week with some soft-tossing exercises.

Ben has been working on a rare rib and shoulder injury that sidelined his 2012-2013 NFL season.

Doctors have told the Pro-Bowl QB to rest his arm and get plenty of sleep. Ben just welcomed a baby boy into his world but says he has still been sleeping well. Ben revealed to reporters that he has been able to hold his baby boy since further damage from the added weight is unlikely.

According to team officials, playtime for Roethlisberger will come down to his range of motion and whether he believes he can manage to play through the pain.

The rib injury was close to Roethlisberger’s heart and his aorta. Officials at the time of the injury worried that the injury could be extremely dangerous. Despite what appeared to be a severe injury, Big Ben was quickly rehabilitated and now appears poised for his NFL return.

The Steelers have had no luck at the QB position this season. Byron Leftwich started for the Steelers in their loss to the Baltimore Ravanes. Now Charlie Batch will face the Cleveland Browns on Sunday after Leftwich was also hurt with a rib injury during the Baltimore match.

On a more positive note, here is the first photo of “little Ben,” which was posted last Friday night on the QB’s official homepage: