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The Steelers are hopeful that Brown (toe), who is listed as questionable for Monday's game against the Bengals, will play in the contest, but the team has been preparing its other receivers in the event the wideout is sidelined, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports.
Given that Brown has shown incredible toughness while playing through pain in the past -- he's missed only one game (the Steelers' divisional-round loss to the Broncos in 2015 while he was dealing with a concussion) due to injury the last four-plus seasons -- it would be difficult to bet against the wideout suiting up Monday, though his status may go down as a game-time call. Brown was held out of practice for a second straight day Saturday due to the toe injury, but he was dressed for the session, according to Joe Rutter of TribLive.com. There's simply no way for the Steelers to replace Brown, a five-time Pro Bowler and the NFL's leading receiver, but if his situation worsens enough to keep him inactive Monday, Pittsburgh would apparently lean on some combination of JuJu Smith-Schuster, Darrius Heyward-Bey and Justin Hunter to handle the multiple spots where Brown lines up. That would free up Martavis Bryant to handle his usual role as a downfield threat on the outside, though he too would benefit from added targets in the event of the subtraction of a target hog like Brown.
