UPDATE (4:10 PM): The Cardinals have officially placed RB James Conner on IR, sidelining him for at least the next four games.
Our original story is below.
Former Pittsburgh Steelers RB James Conner, now with the Arizona Cardinals, is out multiple weeks with a knee injury, according to multiple Tuesday morning reports.
Conner has yet to be placed on injured reserve, which would require him to miss the next four games, but it appears he has a good chance to land there.
Drafted by the Steelers in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft, he was a great talent with a feel-good story. He attended Pitt and beat cancer, getting the chance to stay local when the Steelers called his name. When healthy, he was a successful back in Pittsburgh, making the Pro Bowl in 2018 in a 12-touchdown season. But health has always been his biggest obstacle.
As a Steeler, he never played an entire season. In that 2018 season, he appeared in only 13 games. In 2019, he was limited to just 10 and in 2020, he played in 13 of them.
Pittsburgh let Conner hit free agency the following year, drafting RB Najee Harris in the first round instead. Conner signed with the Arizona Cardinals. He had a big season, playing in 15 games with 15 rushing touchdowns, making his second career Pro Bowl. In 2022, he finished with 782 yards rushing and seven scores in 15 games.
Through the first five games of this season, Conner was averaging an excellent 5.4 yards per carry and two touchdowns. But he suffered the knee injury in Sunday’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on this powerful run that will now knock him out for the next several weeks.
Pittsburgh is slated to play Arizona in Week 13, a Dec. 3 kickoff. If Conner misses only four games, he’ll return by then. But without clear knowledge on the extent of his knee injury, and given his lengthy injury history, Conner’s return isn’t guaranteed.
Until he’s healthy, the Cardinals will turn to Emari Demercado as the team’s lead back. He’s carried the ball 14 times for 48 yards and a touchdown this season, finding the end zone in Week Five’s loss.
