Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster is not expected to play during his team's game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.
Smith-Schuster is in concussion protocol and is also dealing with a knee issue, two injuries that the wide out sustained on the same play in the Steelers' loss to the Cleveland Browns last Thursday.
He left the game in the second quarter and did not return, finishing with a couple of catches for 21 yards.
On the season overall, Smith-Schuster has logged 38 grabs for 524 yards and three touchdowns.
The 22-year-old, who played his collegiate football at the University of Southern California, was originally selected by Pittsburgh in the second round (62nd pick overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft.
He played in 14 games during his rookie campaign and was impressive, catching 58 passes for 917 yards and seven scores.
Then, the following year, Smith-Schuster broke out in a big way, hauling in 111 receptions for 1,426 yards while reaching the end zone seven times, earning a Pro Bowl selection as a result.
With Antonio Brown's departure back in March, Smith-Schuster was instantly elevated to the role of the Steelers' No. 1 receiver, but he has been a bit of disappointment thus far in 2019.
Of course, Smith-Schuster's struggles are hardly all his fault, as Ben Roethlisberger went down with an elbow injury back in Week 2, and Pittsburgh's offense as a whole has been an unmitigated disaster for most of the year.
The Steelers are 5-5 and are clinging to slim playoff hopes in the AFC.
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