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Steelers' Conner thinks he'll be 'good to go' for TNF after 2-game absence

Justin Berl / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Pittsburgh Steelers running back James Conner is on track to return for Thursday's matchup against the Cleveland Browns after missing the last two games with a shoulder injury.

"I'm making a lot of progress on it, and I think I'll be good to go," Conner said Monday, according to ESPN's Brooke Pryor. "I can't make no guarantees, but as of right now, I'm feeling very good and things are feeling very confident for me playing on Thursday."

Conner suffered the injury in the final minutes of the Steelers' Week 8 win over the Miami Dolphins after rushing for a season-high 145 yards and one touchdown.

With Conner sidelined, Jaylen Samuels took over as Pittsburgh's lead back.

The Steelers won both of their games without their starting rusher but struggled mightily to get the ground game going in Sunday's win over the Los Angeles Rams.

Samuels led Pittsburgh with just 29 yards on 14 carries against L.A., and the team averaged an awful 1.6 yards per carry as a whole.

While Conner said he'll likely be managing some pain in his return from the injury, he has no intention of changing his aggressive mindset.

"It's not really something I think about," Conner said. "My running style has got me this far, so I continue to do it. I'm not going to change my game completely. I'm a running back. Things happen."

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