RBs James Conner, Trey Edmunds active vs. Bills for Steelers, who have just 4 D-linemen
After playing just one quarter since October, James Conner is in uniform and active for the Pittsburgh Steelers game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night.
Conner had missed five of the past six games because of a shoulder injury; his return for the Nov. 14 game at Cleveland was abbreviated after he aggravated the injury. But he practiced all week leading up to the crucial AFC showdown against the Bills.
Conner is one of five running backs playing against the Bills, an unusually high number. Trey Edmunds is playing with brother Terrell Edmunds (a Steelers safety) and against Bills linebacker Tremaine Edmunds in what is the first NFL game featuring three brothers in eight decades.
The Steelers’ five running backs are dressed at the expense of rookie defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs, who had played in all seven games since the season-ending injury to Stephon Tuitt.
The Steelers are playing with just four defensive linemen, one fewer than typical.
It had been announced Friday that skill-position starters JuJu Smith-Schuster (knee) and Vance McDonald (concussion) would not play against Buffalo.
The Steelers’ other healthy scratches are quarterback Paxton Lynch, outside linebacker Tuzar Skipper, tackle Chuks Okorafor and cornerback Artie Burns.
The Steelers again chose to activate rookie Justin Layne in lieu of Burns.
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Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.
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