Steelers Officially Rule Out RB James Conner For Week 16

On Friday, the Pittsburgh Steelers officially ruled out RB James Conner (ankle) for Week 16’s game against the Saints.

Reports from earlier in the week said that there was a chance Conner could return, but he later told reporters that he’s still “not ready.”

This, of course, means that Jaylen Samuels will return to the featured back role for the Steelers with Stevan Ridley as their No. 2 option.

Conner, 23, is a former third-round pick of the Steelers back in 2017. He’s in the second year of his four-year, $3.09 million contract that included a $706,288 signing bonus and he stands to make base salaries of $555,000 and $645,000 over the next two years of the agreement.

In 2018, Conner has appeared in 12 games for the Steelers and rushed for 909 yards on 201 carries (4.5 YPC) to go along with 52 receptions for 467 yards receiving and 13 touchdowns.