Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster has missed the last four games with a knee injury, but he will again look to end that streak this coming weekend.
"We'll see. It all depends how my knee feels when I got out there and practice," Smith-Schuster said Monday afternoon, just hours after Pittsburgh's 17-10 loss to the Buffalo Bills.
"It's just a different process for me. I've never been out for this long. Usually I'm out there playing. I've had some major injuries in my life where I've been out for a week at the most. I want to out there and play fast, that's what I want to do. I've got to listen to my doctors."
The Steelers are 3-1 with Smith-Schuster this season. On the year, he has 38 catches for 524 yards and three touchdowns.
Last week, Smith-Schuster practiced fully on Wednesday, but left practice early Thursday and did not go at all on Friday before being ruled out for the game. He was seen, however, running on the field before Sunday night's game.
"When you're in the environment, you feel almost better, the adrenaline running through your body," he said. "I feel like I could have played. But, at the same time, (I was) taking precautions and being careful, taking it slow."
The game was an important one for the Steelers, but not critical to their playoff hopes. Pittsburgh still controls its own destiny with road games against the Jets and the AFC North champion Ravens to come.
"We still have two more games and we have to win out," Smith-Schuster said. "You never know what the future holds for us. For myself, I want to be out there. My mind is telling me I want to go out there. My body is telling me I want to go out there. But I don't want to go out there and mess it up to the point where I'm out for a whole other year because of my knee. So I'm just taking it slow and playing the game smart.
"I'm just doing what they're telling me to do within the weight room and in the training room to just go out there and help my team as best as possible."
Outside of football, the 23-year-old wideout has been busy with a wide variety of promotional, money-making ventures and appearances. But being around football, he claims, is what is keeping him sane while not being able to help the team on the field.
"Being around the guys, going to meetings, being in the young guys' ears and just talking ball," he said. "It sucks I can't be on the field running but, at the same time, I can be a great leader in being in the room, being in meetings and being on the practice field."
