CB Mike Hilton practices fully for Steelers; RB Anthony McFarland returns from illness

It was another Wednesday of full practice for nickel cornerback Mike Hilton. But, as was learned last week, that does not mean he will play Sunday for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

And while the Steelers wait for two players who remain on the reserve/covid-19 list, one player who had an illness has recovered and returned to practice. Another one did not.

Anthony McFarland did not take part in either of the final two practices of last week’s preparation, nor did he play in Sunday’s win against the Cincinnati Bengals. His absence was because of illness, but he never was placed on the reserve/covid-19 list, meaning he never tested positive for the coronavirus.

Similarly, reserve veteran linebacker Jayrone Elliott sat out Wednesday because of illness, though there is no indication or reason to believe it is coronavirus-related.

Tight end Vance McDonald and offensive lineman Kevin Dotson remain on the covid-19 list. McDonald has been isolated from the Steelers since the day following a Nov. 9 positive test; Dotson since Saturday. Per NFL covid-19 protocol, it’s possible both could return Thursday.

It is not known if Dotson tested positive after experiencing no symptoms, but if he did, the minimum wait is five days. By way of his “illness” designation for missing a Week 9 practice, McDonald was deemed “symptomatic.” He has a minimum 10-day window that would expire Thursday. However, he is not permitted to return to the team facility unless it has been 72 hours have passed since he experienced symptoms.

Last Wednesday, Hilton practiced fully for the first time since suffering a shoulder injury against the Cleveland Browns on Oct. 18. But Hilton was downgraded to limited participation last week, something that could mute the “optimism” coach Mike Tomlin expressed during his Tuesday news conference about a potential Hilton return.

Also not practicing because of injury Wednesday were backup defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs (ankle) and reserve running backs Jaylen Samuels (quadricep) and Trey Edmunds (hamstring).

A host of veterans were given Wednesday off by Tomlin: quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt and starting offensive linemen Maurkice Pouncey, David DeCastro and Alejandro Villanueva.

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