Pittsburgh Steelers running back James Conner ended up in the NFL’s concussion protocol after he exited Thursday night’s win over the Carolina Panthers with a head injury, but it does not sound like the team expects his absence to be lengthy.
Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported on Sunday that the Steelers are “optimistic” Conner will be able to play in Week 10 when they take on the Jacksonville Jaguars. The severity of concussions can vary greatly and Conner will need to clear a number of hurdles, but he will have had 10 days to do that since Pittsburgh played on Thursday.
Conner has had an incredible season while Le’Veon Bell continues to hold out. His 771 rushing yards rank second in the NFL behind only Todd Gurley. He’s averaging 4.7 yards per carry and also has 387 receiving yards, giving him well over 1,000 total yards from scrimmage. He has also scored 11 total touchdowns.
With the latest report we have heard about Bell’s situation, it sounds like the Steelers are going to need Conner to remain healthy going forward.
