James Conner will not play for the Steelers this week against Oakland after Mike Tomlin said Tuesday his ankle injury was more significant than the team initially thought.
The injury, suffered in the fourth quarter of Sunday night's loss to the Chargers, was initially diagnosed as a contusion. But an MRI Monday revealed more serious damage and Conner could miss several weeks.
Because of that, the Steelers on Tuesday signed running back Trey Edmunds off its practice squad.
Edmunds, the brother of safety Terrell Edmunds, was originally signed by the Saints in 2017 as an undrafted rookie free agent from Maryland. He had nine carries for 48 yards and a touchdown in 16 regular season games and added three kickoff returns for 65 yards.
To make room on the 53-man roster, the Steelers placed receiver Justin Hunter on injured reserve. Hunter suffered a shoulder injury while diving for a pass against the Chargers.
The Steelers also brought linebacker Matthew Thomas back, as expected, signing him to the practice squad. Thomas was released from the 53-man roster on Saturday to make room when outside linebacker Ola Adeniyi was activated from injured reserve.
Farrington Huguenin was released from the practice squad to make room for Thomas. The Steelers are expected to sign a running back to their practice squad and are working out several today.