Coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that rather than Smith-Schuster's left knee injury, the Steelers view the receiver's concussion as the greater obstacle he'll need to overcome to play Week 12 versus the Bengals, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports.
Given the variable nature of recovery timelines for concussions, Smith-Schuster is no lock to play Sunday, but it's at least reassuring that the knee issue he sustained in the Week 11 loss to the Browns is being downplayed. Concern about the knee issue had arisen Monday, when Smith-Schuster was spotted at the Steelers' facility sporting a bulky brace. Tomlin's comments suggest that the brace may have only been a precautionary matter, but Smith-Schuster's level of participation in practice will still be worth tracking this week while he looks to move past both health issues.