The Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing for life without Ben Roethlisberger for the remainder of the regular season, and while fans are excited to see Mason Rudolph take over, Roethlisberger is looking for a second opinion on his injured elbow.

This per Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

Ben Roethlisberger received a second opinion from a well-known Los Angeles-based orthopedic surgeon with local ties on his injured elbow, sources told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Roethlisberger met with Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who specializes in sports medicine at Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles, on Thursday to further evaluate the extent of his injury. ElAttrache, a Mount Pleasant native who earned his medical doctorate at Pitt, was in Pittsburgh and met with Roethlisberger at a private location.

Roethlisberger has been very open about his desire to not have surgery throughout his NFL career, and this is likely just another attempt to see if he could potentially avoid going under the knife to allow his elbow to heal properly.

The Steelers have still not confirmed the extent of Roethlisberger’s injury. Most assume it is a Tommy John surgery awaiting him, but it is nothing more than speculation until the Steelers officially announce the injury, the success of the surgery and the eventual timeline for his recovery.

In the meantime, it looks as if Roethlisberger hasn’t completely decided on his course of action when it comes to his elbow, and the treatment/recovery it will require before he returns for the 2020 season.

UPDATE: According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Roethlisberger will not require Tommy John surgery and expects to play in 2020. The exact surgery need has not been disclosed.

Ben Roethlisberger won't have Tommy John surgery and he is expected back for the 2020 season, per sources.https://t.co/IznDXJHFVA — Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 22, 2019

Stay tuned to BTSC for the latest news on this story, as well as other news surrounding the Steelers’ Week 3 matchup vs. the San Francisco 49ers.