Former Steelers RB Suffers Knee Injury.

Former Steelers running back James Conner is expected to miss many weeks due to a knee injury suffered against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Conner is the Arizona Cardinals’ starting running back and is in the second year of a three-year, $21 million contract.

The same knee has caused him problems throughout his playing career. He suffered a grade 3 MCL sprain at Pitt, which ended his season. During his rookie season with the Steelers, he sustained another knee injury that required season-ending surgery. Conner has 364 running yards on 68 carries and two touchdowns this season. While he is now 28, the veteran running back has maintained his dominance in Arizona, extending his one-year contract into a three-year pact. The two-time Pro Bowler maintains his hard-nosed running approach while remaining an effective back who gains hidden yardage.

After four seasons in Pittsburgh, arriving out of Pitt as the Steelers’ third-round selection in the 2017 NFL Draft, he compiled 2,302 yards and 22 touchdowns on the ground and 161 receptions for 1,338 yards and seven touchdowns. Conner ran for 3,733 yards and 52 touchdowns during his four seasons at Pitt, playing just one game in his junior season after tearing his MCL and then being diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Conner’s sophomore season of 1,756 yards and 25 touchdowns earned him All-American honors, and his 1,092-yard, 20 total touchdown redshirt junior season cemented his Pitt legacy and NFL status.