Victory Tuesday was a bit painful for Steelers running back James Conner, whose planned day off comes with a sling and treatment on his injured shoulder.
Conner sustained an AC joint injury in Monday’s win over the Miami Dolphins.
“It’s in the process of being evaluated right now as we speak, so I don’t have a lot of information,” head coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday. “One thing’s for sure, it’s going to limit him, surely at the early portions of the week.”
Conner had 23 carries for 145 yards and a touchdown but his final carry with just over two minutes to go in the win led to the potential loss of the team’s top back.
Tomlin said Conner could play Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts even with a light week of practice.
“(It) doesn’t require a complete week of work and effort for him to play like it does some younger players,” Tomlin said. “So we’ll play it by ear. We’ll check his availability on a day-to-day basis and let that be our guide in terms of his availability.”
Like Conner, rookie running back Benny Snell also will be limited early in the week after injuring his knee Monday night.
Fortunately for the Steelers, running back Jaylen Samuels is set to return after missing two games following arthroscopic knee surgery.
“Man, Jaylen Samuels’ availability is right on time,” Tomlin said.