Smith-Schuster (shoulder) practiced Thursday, but head coach Mike Tomlin said the Steelers have yet to determine if the wideout will be ready to play in Sunday's wild-card game against the Chiefs, Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com reports. "We just started the 21-day window," Tomlin said, in reference to Smith-Schuster being designated for return from injured reserve Thursday. "What transpires out [on the practice field] and a lot of other questions are part of the equation."
The Steelers plan to evaluate Smith-Schuster again during their final practice of the day Friday before reassessing if he'll be a realistic option to play Sunday. The Steelers' decision to clear Smith-Schuster for practice was somewhat surprising, as the prevailing assumption was that he would miss the rest of the season after he was shut down in mid-October when he required surgery on his right shoulder. Before landing on IR, Smith-Schuster appeared in five games and recorded 15 receptions for 129 yards and no touchdowns on 28 targets.