Antonio Brown Injury: Updates on Steelers Star's Concussion and Return

The Pittsburgh Steelers' wide receiver depth will be tested if Pro Bowler Antonio Brown misses any significant time from the injury he suffered in Thursday night's game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Burt Lauten of the Steelers PR department had the news:

After going to the locker room for examination, Brown returned to the game early in the second quarter according to Lauten:

Mike Florio of ProfootballTalk reports on a text he received about Brown returning so quickly: 

Brown is the most reliable and explosive target at quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's disposal. The young playmaker is coming off his best season as a receiver to date in 2013, when he caught 110 passes for 1,499 yards and eight touchdowns.

NFL.com's Adam Rank noted how Brown peaked at the perfect time last year:

Veteran Pittsburgh cornerback William Gay praised Brown for continuing to work hard despite his ascent to stardom, per NFL Network's Aditi Kinkhabwala:

The intrinsic drive Brown has had to be great has helped him rise from relative obscurity as a 2010 sixth-round pick from Central Michigan into a star at the NFL level. That is something he must impart onto his fellow wideouts, too.

Beyond Brown, the only other seasoned player at his position is free-agent arrival Lance Moore, who has just one 1,000-yard season in eight previous years. Part of that can be attributed to playing in a loaded New Orleans Saints offense that spread the ball around a lot, so it's up to Moore to lead the way in Brown's absence.

However, Moore has yet to take the field for the Steelers this season. Perhaps a trickle-down effect can occur, as Pittsburgh will be seeking more out of Markus Wheaton, Justin Brown and Heath Miller moving forward—if Brown is missing for a long period of time. 

The hope is that Brown returns soon, because his knack for generating big plays (third in the league in 2013 with 23 receptions of 20 yards or more) is irreplaceable by one single Steeler. An added sense of urgency has to be permeating the entire organization after two 8-8 seasons, which ought to lure Brown back to the gridiron if his injury isn't too severe.