Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin: Ben Roethlisberger 'has some hip issues'

It was less than one full week ago when former player and current ESPN analyst Damien Woody said Pittsburgh Steelers veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is "washed" amid the club's offensive struggles. Roethlisberger, 39, absorbed beatings across Pittsburgh's first four games of the season and has already dealt with a left pectoral injury this fall. The Steelers have lost three straight, and Big Ben is, per ESPN stats, 27th overall with a 78.9 passer rating and tied for 28th with a 36.3 total QBR. 

There's more bad news regarding the future Hall of Famer as the Steelers prepare to face the 3-1 Denver Broncos Sunday. 

According to Ed Bouchette of The Athletic, Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters Tuesday that Roethlisberger "has some hip issues" coming off Week 4. 

It's unclear exactly what that means, but Roethlisberger's status for Sunday's home game against Denver is at least in question as of Tuesday afternoon. Backup Mason Rudolph and former first-round draft pick Dwayne Haskins are beneath Roethlisberger on the depth chart, and it's assumed Rudolph would be the next man up if Pittsburgh's QB1 couldn't go in Week 5. 

If Rudolph were to guide the Steelers to a win over the Broncos, Tomlin may find himself having to make a difficult decision ahead of the matchup versus the Seattle Seahawks on Oct. 17.