Pittsburgh Steelers place LaMarr Woodley on IR

Sep 16, 2013; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert (85) is tackled by Pittsburgh Steelers outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley (56) during the second quarter at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports /

On Tuesday, the Pittsburgh Steelers placed veteran outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley on injured reserve.

Woodley strained his right calf early in the Steelers’ 30-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday night and the Steelers decided to shut him down for the last two games.

“He’s been solid, not only this season but over the course of his career,” Steelers’ head coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday at his weekly news conference via Scott Brown of ESPN.com. “But obviously, particularly in recent years, he’s had to battle some injuries, unfortunately for him and for us.”

Woodley was the 46th overall pick in the second round of the 2007 draft and the former Michigan Wolverine has spent his entire career with the Steelers. He had 44 sacks from 2008-2011 and was rewarded with a $61.5 million deal. Injuries, however, have taken a toll and Woodley just hasn’t been the same player. He will finish this season by playing in just 11 games, the second-lowest number of his career (he played in 10 games in 2011) and he hasn’t made it through 16 games since 2010.

The Steelers will take on the Green Bay Packers Sunday at 4:25 pm EST.

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