Pittsburgh, PA (Sports Network) - The Pittsburgh Steelers placed starting left guard Willie Colon on injured reserve Tuesday after the veteran lineman underwent a recent knee procedure.
Colon initially hurt his knee in a Nov. 18 matchup against AFC North rival Baltimore and missed the next two games as a result. He returned to action for Pittsburgh's Week 14 clash against San Diego but aggravated the injury, which necessitated surgery.
The move marks the third straight season in which Colon has landed on IR. The seven-year pro missed the entire 2010 campaign after rupturing his Achilles in training camp, then tore a triceps in last year's season opener.
With Colon inactive, Pittsburgh shifted regular right guard Ramon Foster to the left side for last Sunday's loss at Dallas and inserted rookie David DeCastro, the club's first-round selection in this past April's draft, into Foster's usual spot.
The Steelers needed to make a roster transaction after reinstating running back Rashard Mendenhall from a team-imposed one-game suspension on Monday.
