A little more than 24 hours in advance of a 4 p.m. Saturday deadline for activating JuJu Smith-Schuster to the roster in time for a playoff game Sunday, Pittsburgh Steelers teammates were eager to let it be known they were unwilling to unveil any inside information about if Smith-Schuster could or would play against the Kansas City Chiefs.

But they were just as eager to let it be known they were happy he’d returned to practice.

“I am not sure what his status is for Sunday,” cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon said, “but he’s already helped us come Sunday — just with his energy at practice.”

Smith-Schuster getting cleared to practice off injured reserve came as a surprise this week. Though all that means for practical purposes is it opens a 21-day window in which he must be added to the 53-man roster, to hear Steelers players tell it just that he’s practicing has been a lift.

“JuJu’s an amazing player, so to see him back at practice, after (so long), obviously everyone is pretty energized,” running back Najee Harris said after Friday’s practice at Heinz Field.

“Obviously, that gives a big boost to everybody just to have another key player back. … To see him going at practice today, that’s big.”

.@CoachTomlin is making no guarantees Smith-Schuster will be activated from injured reserve in time to play against the Chiefs. https://t.co/dMTNOwN4z9

— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) January 14, 2022

Smith-Schuster had surgery on his right shoulder three months ago, and at the time it was reported as a “season-ending” procedure. The veteran of five seasons — all with the Steelers — is scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency again this spring after he opted for a one-year deal to stay with the team in March.

Smith-Schuster is the most experienced and tenured member of the Steelers’ wide receivers.

“We definitely feel his presence out there, and our practices have been a lot better defensively the last three days just off of that energy,” Witherspoon said. “It’s always nice to see a guy get back into and to acknowledge that journey that he’s been on recovering from the injury. That gets that ultimate respect because it’s such a challenging aspect of this game.

“So it has been good during the week of practice just to have another brother out here who was gone for a while and I’m just happy he’s represented.”

Smith-Schuster has a 111-catch season on his NFL resume and had 97 catches last season. He had taken on the role of slot/possession receiver as this season was beginning, having 15 receptions for 129 yards in four-plus games this season before suffering his injury early in the Oct. 10 win against the Denver Broncos.

“He looks smooth out there at practice,” linebacker T.J. Watt said Friday.

“I know it’s tough to come back from a big injury like that. I’m happy to see a smile on his face and him back out there practicing.”

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