Former Steelers RB Suffers Knee Injury

Former Steelers running back James Conner is expected to miss multiple weeks with a knee injury he suffered against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network reports. Conner is the lead back with the Arizona Cardinals, and he is in the second year of a 3-year, $21 million contract with the team.

The same knee has given him fits in his football career. While at Pitt, he suffered a grade 3 MCL sprain, ending his season. He suffered another knee injury during his rookie season with the Steelers that required season-ending surgery. So far this season, Conner has 364 rushing yards on 68 carries with two touchdowns. While he is now 28, the veteran running back has kept it strong in Arizona, turning that one-year contract into his three-year deal. The two-time Pro Bowler has his signature hard-nosed running style and remains an efficient back who gets hidden yardage.

After four seasons in Pittsburgh, arriving out of Pitt as the Steelers’ third-round selection in the 2017 NFL Draft, he compiled 2,302 yards and 22 touchdowns on the ground and 161 receptions for 1,338 yards and seven touchdowns. Conner ran for 3,733 yards and 52 touchdowns during his four seasons at Pitt, playing just one game in his junior season after tearing his MCL and then being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Conner’s sophomore season of 1,756 yards and 25 touchdowns earned him All-American honors, and his 1,092-yard, 20 total touchdown redshirt junior season cemented his Pitt legacy and NFL status.