Steelers RB Benny Snell to resume practicing after missing 3 games with injury

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James Conner’s availability for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday is unknown, but coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that rookie running back Benny Snell may have a role when his team faces the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium.

Snell, who has missed three games because of arthroscopic surgery on his knee, is expected to practice this week, Tomlin said Tuesday at his weekly press conference.

“We’ll get him on the field and see what he looks like,” Tomlin said.

Tomlin confirmed reports that wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster is dealing with a knee injury in addition the concussion he sustained in the Steelers’ 21-7 loss at Cleveland on Thursday.

“The (concussion) protocol is the first and foremost thing he’s dealing with,” Tomlin said.

Wide receiver Diontae Johnson and backup outside linebacker Ola Adeniyi also remain in concussion protocol.

Snell’s return would provide a boost to one of the main injured position groups on the Steelers offense. Conner missed two games with a shoulder injury before aggravating it in the first half Thursday night against Cleveland.

Full article: https://triblive.com/sports/rb-benny-snell-to-resume-practicing-after-3-game-absence-with-knee-injury/

If Samuels and Snell are good to go, then please let Conner rest another week.

This team is a walking infirmary and we'll need to get as many of them healed up to make any sort of push against the teams we're facing down the stretch.

It would be great if him and Samuels play. Let Connor heal up. This team,this year is a human shuffleboard. I just hope Snell is ready and 100%. A lot to hope for I know.

It would be awesome if they had something in Snell. He seemed to do ok in the Chargers game but not so much the rest of the year. I understand the OL is part of the problem, but I'm hoping the Steelers build a better stable of RBs this offseason. Proven Vet RBs usually aren't that expensive and there needs to be something to go with Conner. Traditional Steelers football is a strong running game and D. It looks like we're making some progress on the D side.

The problem is the O-Line the RBs have very little room to work with. Yes Connors is injury prone but our run blocking has been pretty bad and the pass blocking is also pretty bad. The OLine is old across the board. Pouncey is 30 Decastro 29 (30 in Jan) Villanueva is 31 Foster 32 Feiler is the youngest at 27.

Hopefully Snell is fully healthy, we need the help.

So far, Snell hasn't been what I thought he'd be but we need him now more than before. Hopefully he will be back and we can let Connor rest.

SteelersYak wrote:

So far, Snell hasn't been what I thought he'd be but we need him now more than before. Hopefully he will be back and we can let Connor rest.

The little he's played in real games showed that he is better than what his preseason showed. I was high on him coming out of UK. Then I was disappointed. Now I'm optimistic and honestly the bar has not been set very high this year. Any help he can give us will be welcomed by me.

Snell is 21... and a rookie let him learn...

SteelerFreak58 wrote:

Snell is 21... and a rookie let him learn...

Right. He doesn't have a history of fumbling and he runs hard. We need him to step up right now.

It looks like Johnson will be available this week....

Diontae Johnson a full participant in Steelers practice for an offense that needs him

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James Washington caught himself as he lauded the stability Diontae Johnson would bring to the Steelers offense Sunday, if healthy enough to play against the Cincinnati Bengals.

After all, Johnson is a rookie. But it’s easy to forget that when you reel off the names that comprise the Steelers receiving corps these days, from the top to the bottom of the practice squad roster.

“He just kind of has that — I wouldn't say experience, but someone who just knows what his role is,” Washington said Wednesday after practice, the team’s first since its disheartening 21-7 loss at Cleveland.

Washington and Johnson both might share the role of de facto No. 1 receiver this week in Cincinnati. JuJu Smith-Schuster isn't expected to play as he recovers from a concussion and now deals with a knee injury, but the injury outlook for Johnson was rosier to begin this week of preparation. Johnson was a full participant in practice, Washington confirmed, despite the third-round pick leaving Thursday’s game because of a scary helmet-to-helmet hit that had Johnson dripping blood from his right ear.

Washington even said he expects that Johnson will be available against the Bengals, which would mean he’s cleared the league’s concussion protocol by then.
“Oh for sure,” Washington said. “I guess it’s still in the air, but he practiced today, he looked good, said he felt good, so that’s a plus.”

As for Smith-Schuster, he’s “doing good, mentally and physically,” according to Washington, but the two haven't talked about Smith-Schuster’s injury status.

The other guys
If the second-year Washington and first-year Johnson operate as Mason Rudolph’s top two pass-catchers in Week 12, then who’s next? It could be Tevin Jones, promoted from the practice squad for the first time on the day of the Browns game, or Johnny Holton.

The dark horse might be Deon Cain, signed off the Indianapolis practice squad Saturday, who can't be much less productive a deep threat than special teamer Holton (one catch for 18 yards on 13 targets) has been in that role all season.

“I saw an athlete. He’s fast, that’s for sure. He’s confident,” Washington said of Cain’s first practice with his new team. “He actually came in and he’s learning his plays and stuff pretty well. It'll be a plus to have him out there.”

It was also the first on-field work here for the other addition to the skill positions: running back Kerrith Whyte. When you’re likely swapping in Cain and Whyte for Smith-Schuster and Conner for a must-win AFC North matchup, there’s little time to get familiar with the new faces in the huddle.

“It’ll be a little different not having some of the guys out there,” Washington said, “but it’s a week that we’ve just got to bounce back and make due with what we have.”

Back in the saddle

B.J. Finney, fond of wearing a cowboy hat on game days, has one start under his belt this season, but he now figures to get back in the lineup at a different spot. With Maurkice Pouncey facing a three-game suspension for his role in the altercation between the Steelers and Browns, the fourth-year backup interior lineman will step in at center for as long as he’s needed.

That means snapping to Rudolph, often in the shotgun, which had been an issue at times this year for Pouncey and the first-year starter.

“What is this, Year 2, 3 for him?” Finney said of Rudolph. “Yeah, I've been working with him for two or three years, so it's nothing big for us. We’ve had all spring, training camp, that kind of stuff. It’s just another day.”

The Steelers likely will call up practice squad center Patrick Morris to the 53-man roster once Pouncey’s spot opens; Wednesday, they added Alabama alumnus J.C. Hassenauer — who was with the team for training camp -— to the practice squad and released Pine-Richland High School graduate Kevin Rader, a tight end.

Finney replaced Ramon Foster at left guard against Indianapolis four weeks ago when Foster was recovering from a concussion. Foster also missed the next game against the Los Angeles Rams, but instead of giving Finney another start, the Steelers moved Matt Feiler from right tackle to left guard and went with second-year reserve Chuks Okorafor at right tackle to emphasize their pass protection.

“As a professional athlete, obviously, any time you don't get to play, it motivates you,” Finney said. “I don't like sitting on the sideline, but, honestly, that’s my job right now.”

Not anymore, it’s not.

Chipper Skipper

Outside linebacker Tuzar Skipper is back on the roster for the first time since he was waived just before the season opener at New England. It’s a thrill for the star of Steelers preseason, when he posted five sacks over four games.

“I was surprised getting released, but I was even happier knowing I was coming back,” Skipper said. “Because I liked it here. The people are great, the fans are great, the teammates are wonderful and the coaches are even better.

“This was a good spot, a good place, it just had to end a little early. But we’re back where we left off.”

The Steelers’ outside linebacker situation has been in flux over recent weeks, first with Anthony Chickillo’s placement on the commissioner’s list because of his arrest, then with the health of the two backups, Chickillo and Ola Adeniyi. Chickillo was inactive against the Browns because of a rib injury, and Adeniyi is now in the NFL concussion protocol himself after leaving early in the Cleveland game.

https://www.post-gazette.com/sports/steelers/2019/11/20/diontae-johnson-injury-steelers-james-washington-deon-cain-tuzar-skipper-bj-finney/stories/201911200140

SteelersYak wrote:

So far, Snell hasn't been what I thought he'd be but we need him now more than before. Hopefully he will be back and we can let Connor rest.

I had kind of the same opinion on Snell following the preseason, but I did see some improvement from him. He's a North-South runner, and I think we need that right now. He had a pretty good showing against the Chargers, and I think it was the Dolphins game where he got banged up.

I will say this though, none of our running backs look great right now, and I'd put that more on the absymal run blocking from our offensive line than I would the running backs. We aren't able to push the ball down the field in the passing game either, so these guys are constantly facing stacked boxes in addition to the poor blocking.

The Bengals are dead last against the run. This could be a chance to get the running game going. I have a feeling as far as WRs go we might be saying "nice catch,who was that"?
I would love to see Skipper get a sack or two.

Let's not forget that teams are basically stacking the box daring our team to beat them with MR and our WRs making it that much more difficult on the running game.

SteelerFreak58 wrote:

Let's not forget that teams are basically stacking the box daring our team to beat them with MR and our WRs making it that much more difficult on the running game.

Yeah even though they haven't won a game yet we still need to take them seriously. I do think our defense can win this game for us though.

can someone please tell me how snell is better than steven ridley ?

He doesnt fumble every other play?

SteelerFreak58 wrote:

He doesnt fumble every other play?

Yeah Ridley looked pretty washed up last time he took the field for us. The fact that he is currently a Free Agent and not on a roster doesn't speak well for him either.

solardave wrote:

The Bengals are dead last against the run. This could be a chance to get the running game going. I have a feeling as far as WRs go we might be saying "nice catch,who was that"?
I would love to see Skipper get a sack or two.

I thought you were about to say "I would love to see Skipper get a catch or 2"

SteelersYak wrote:

solardave wrote:

The Bengals are dead last against the run. This could be a chance to get the running game going. I have a feeling as far as WRs go we might be saying "nice catch,who was that"?
I would love to see Skipper get a sack or two.

I thought you were about to say "I would love to see Skipper get a catch or 2"

If they're INTs hell yeah.