James Conner will not play, Steelers make roster moves in advance of game vs. Bengals

A rushing attack that has averaged a paltry 54 yards over the past seven games is going to be without its top running back for Monday night’s game.

James Conner will not play for the Pittsburgh Steelers against the Cincinnati Bengals, the team announced about 4 ½ hours before the 8:15 p.m. kickoff. Conner suffered a quadriceps injury during last week’s loss at the Buffalo Bills, his first game back after a two-week absence from action upon testing positive for coronavirus.

After a solid first five games of the season, the Steelers have fallen to 31^st in the NFL in rushing yards per game at 89.1. Benny Snell is expected to be what coach Mike Tomlin calls the “bell cow” against the Bengals, with rookie Anthony McFarland Jr. and Jaylen Samuels also contributing at running back.

Also Monday, the Steelers added veteran interior offensive lineman Danny Isidora to their active roster, six days after they signed him off the Kansas City Chiefs practice squad. Isidora needed to comply with NFL covid-19 protocol and spend five days in isolation.

Isidora will serve as the top backup at guard Monday after starting left guard Matt Feiler was placed on injured reserve and rookie Kevin Dotson was ruled out because of a shoulder injury. J.C. Hassenauer will make his third career NFL start, his first at guard.

The Steelers also called up inside linebacker Tegray Scales from their practice squad. The team is thin at that position with Devin Bush and Robert Spillane on injured reserve and Vince Williams on the reserve/covid-19 list. Avery Williamson and Marcus Allen are expected to start.

In addition to Conner and Dotson, the other inactives players for the Steelers are third quarterback Joshua Dobbs, safety Antoine Brooks Jr., defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs and outside linebacker Cassius Marsh.

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