The news on Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier was positive Tuesday morning.

Shazier, who was carted off the field after not moving his legs following a tackle against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday night, had some movement in his lower extremities on Tuesday morning according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. Rapoport added that the next 24-48 hours are important for more movement.

Shazier was injured making a tackle early in the first quarter, and there was no real update on him until after the game. Once it was reported Shazier had a spinal contusion, which others have recovered from, there was more optimism about him recovering. Still, until Shazier is back to full strength there will be some concern. Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL Network reported the Steelers sent a private plane to take Shazier’s parents to be with him in Cincinnati. Kinkhabwala also reported Shazier could return to Pittsburgh on Tuesday.

“He’s in really good spirits,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, who went to the hospital after the game to visit with Shazier, said on Tuesday. “Tough guy. He’s got great support from family and loved ones there. It was painful to get on that plane last night, but that’s life. We understand he’s in really good hands and is getting expert medical care.”

The Steelers said Tuesday afternoon that Shazier was still being evaluated, and could return to Pittsburgh after more evaluation in the next 24-48 hours.

Shazier is a fourth-year player and was emerging as one of the best players on a very good Steelers defense. The level of concern for Shazier when he was injured was obvious from players on both sides. Shazier isn’t fully cleared yet, but the situation is a lot better than it seemed to be on Monday night.

– – – – – – –

Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
Follow @YahooSchwab