JuJu Smith-Schuster's knee isn't 100 percent, as he'd acknowledge after practice Friday at the Rooney Complex, but it's good enough to go.
Smith-Schuster was a full participant, as was everyone else on the Steelers' active roster, in the final preparation of the week in advance of the game Sunday against the Jets in East Rutherford, N.J. That includes Joe Haden, who'd been limited the previous day by a foot injury, and Vance McDonald, who was cleared from the NFL's concussion protocol shortly after this two-hour session.
This was final team report:
Smith-Schuster's missed four games to a concussion and a knee injury sustained in the same sequence Nov. 14 in Cleveland, though he was cleared of the former three weeks ago. He was a full participant in practice last week, as well, then was downgraded to limited last Friday and wound up missing another game Sunday against the Bills.
Smith-Schuster stopped short of confirming he'll play Sunday. But when asked by a reporter what has to happen between now and kickoff for that to happen, he replied, "Don't go out. Don't go out and party. Don't go out dancing. Just stay home and make sure my knee is good."
On the state of his knee: "I don't feel 100 percent, but I'm gonna see what I can do."
On whether he'll play: "I don't know yet. We'll see. Depends on what Coach says."
On the difference between last week and this week: "It's coming along. It's a process. The knee's kind of tricky. You don't really know you're a full go until you run full speed, when you're getting hit, getting tackled. Hopefully, I'm able to go this week and play. ... I think, at the end of the day, when it comes down to me playing this weekend, it’s a mental game. How strongly can I tolerate the pain?”
On his biggest concern: "Cardio. When you don't run for four weeks, that's probably the part I've got to get back."
On his mindset: "It feels great. It's been a while. I feel like I'm my usual self, being out there. Being around football means a lot. When I'm not around football, I tend to lose my mind. When I'm out there with the boys, running routes, catching balls ... it feels great."
Haden had been a surprise addition to the injury report Thursday, but he was back in full Friday.
McDonald was concussed Dec. 8 in Glendale, Ariz., but was a full participant all week.
The Jets are, by contrast, more than a bit banged up: Wide receiver Demaryius Thomas (hamstring/knee) and offensive lineman Tom Compton (calf) didn't practice Friday and were declared out. An additional nine players were limited in practice and listed as questionable: Wide receiver Robby Anderson (illness), running back Bilal Powell (ankle), safety Jamal Adams (ankle), offensive lineman Kelvin Beachum (ankle), defensive linemen Steve McLendon (knee/hip), Henry Adams (shoulder) and Quinnen Williams (neck), and cornerbacks Arthur Maulet (calf) and Brian Poole (concussion/ankle).
