Steve Smith is running hills, but not routes

Turns out that Steve Smith did eventually have an MRI on his groin injury. He went back to New York City on Sunday when the team was off and was examined there.

“I looked at it with three doctors and they were like ‘It’s just a muscle strain,’” he said. “Got a little hip thing going on.”

Hip? Yeah, Smith said the MRI showed an old injury to his hip that he’s been playing with for years. The real issue keeping him out now is the groin strain. But he’s inching back toward the field.

“I ran today on the hill pretty hard, so it’s getting better,” he said. “You just don’t want to rush out there and do something [to hurt it more].”

Smith said there’s little chance he’ll play in Monday’s game against the Jets, but he’s eyeing the practices after that game for his return.

“It feels a lot better,” he said. “Every day it’s getting stronger. I’m just trying to stay optimistic and keep my cardio up.”