PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers have placed running back Anthony McFarland Jr. on the injured reserve list, the team announced on Monday, guaranteeing that he will miss at least four weeks. The Steelers have not provided a timetable for his return.
McFarland played in the team’s Week 1 loss to the San Francisco 49ers and was a surprise inclusion on the team’s injury list this week. McFarland told Steelers Now this week that he had been dealing with a minor injury that had caused swelling in his knee and was resting with hopes it went down, and would result in only a short-term absence.
Obviously, that turned out not to be the case, as McFarland must miss at least four weeks while on the injured reserve, and he will miss at least one week of practice before returning to action.
Once he returns to practice, that will open a 21-day window the Steelers have to activate him from the IR. If he remains on the IR after 21 days, he must stay there for the remainder of the season.
McFarland will be replaced by running back Qadree Ollison, who was elevated from the practice squad for Monday’s game against the Cleveland Browns. Wide receiver Gunner Olszewski is expected to replace him as the team’s kickoff returner.
McFarland was one of the few bright spots for the Steelers on Sunday. He averaged 30.3 yards per return on three kickoff returns, which has him second in the NFL in kick return average after one week, trailing only Ty Montgomery of the New England Patriots, who averaged 31.0 yards per return.
At running back, McFarland didn’t have a big role, playing just five snaps, but he made an impact when he was on the field. McFarland caught two passes, gaining 11 yards. One of them was a crucial fourth-down conversion on the team’s lone scoring drive.
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