Steelers' James Conner Ruled out vs. Browns After Suffering Shoulder Injury

Pittsburgh Steelers director of communications Burt Lauten announced Thursday that running back James Conner has been ruled out of his team's Week 11 game at the Cleveland Browns with an injured shoulder.

Conner, who had 16 yards from scrimmage on six touches before exiting, missed Weeks 9 and 10 with an injured AC joint. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that Conner left with the same injury on Thursday.

Conner reportedly told FOX sideline reporter Kristina Pink (h/t Rotoworld) that he wasn't in full health entering the evening. He practiced in full all week leading into the Browns game.

Conner has been a bright spot out of the backfield for the 5-4 Steelers. The 24-year-old leads the team with 632 yards from scrimmage and six total touchdowns on 132 touches.

With Conner out, Pittsburgh's offense will turn to Jaylen Samuels to carry the load at running back. The North Carolina State product entered Thursday with 256 scrimmage yards and one touchdown on 69 touches. He also began the Browns game tied for third on the team with 29 receptions.

The Steelers are still hanging around the AFC playoff race. They still have work to do to crack the top six, but there is a path, which makes losing Conner all the more devastating for the team.