Pittsburgh Steelers injury report: JuJu Smith-Schuster hopeful for Sunday

The Pittsburgh Steelers are hoping to have JuJu Smith-Schuster back on the field after missing Week 12 with a hamstring injury.

The Steelers only missed three players in Week 12, but each was a significant loss for the team. Smith-Schuster, Vance McDonald and Joe Haden all missed last week’s win over the Green Bay Packers, with each player’s absence being felt throughout.

However, Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin, is hopeful his star rookie is on his way back to the field. During his Tuesday press conference, Tomlin told the media that he’s optimistic Smith-Schuster and McDonald have a chance of playing Monday night versus the Cincinnati Bengals.

McDonald, who’s missed multiple weeks this season, is still dealing with an ankle injury. Although he’s made progress in his return, he seems to always be a scratch come gametime. But this week could be different as the Steelers are hoping to have everyone on the field while they approach the postseason.

Outside of Smith-Schuster and McDonald, the other two mentioned in the report were Ryan Shazier and Mike Mitchell. Shazier, who dealt with an ankle injury during Week 12, and Mitchell, who’s also been dealing with an ankle injury, are both looking like goes in Week 13.

Shazier returned to the game Sunday and Mitchell played the entire game after missing Week 11. Both should be able to go come Monday with no set backs during practice.

The only other player mentioned in the report was Joe Haden. Dealing with a broken fibula, Haden isn’t going to get on the field for a few weeks. Tomlin told the media there’s no clarity with Haden just yet, but did make it known that he will be a scratch against the Bengals.

Next: The Steelers cannot look ahead just yet

Likely, Haden isn’t going to make a return until Week 15 the earliest, but could remain on the sidelines until the playoffs.