Not backing down from physical confrontation has consequences.

Steelers rookie running back James Conner drew praise from his coach, Mike Tomlin, for Conner’s efforts in his first padded practice. Those efforts resulted, however, in a shoulder injury.

According to NFL Network, Conner missed practice on Monday for evaluation of the shoulder. The Steelers are off on Tuesday.

Related players: Fitzgerald Toussaint, LeVeon Bell

It’s unclear when Conner will be ready to return, and the precise diagnosis/prognosis is unknown. His absence puts stress on the tailback position, given the lingering holdout by starter Le’Veon Bell.

After failing to reach an agreement on a long-term contract extension, Steelers RB LeVeon Bell is not expected to arrive anytime soon in camp.

Related players: James Conner, Knile Davis

Bell is expected to hold out for at least part of camp, but has said he would like to play a full 16-game schedule this season, so it seems reasonable if he doesn't arrive for the start, he'll show up at some point in time to get ready for the start of the season. The story was actually about Bell's potential backup in 2017.

Off the field, the Steelers struck a PR coup when they drafted former Pitt star and cancer survivor James Conner in the third round. Conner is already the NFL’s No. 2 leader in jersey sales, but now the question is whether he can be the Steelers' No. 2 running back.

After failing to reach an agreement on a long-term contract extension, Le’Veon Bell is not expected to arrive anytime soon in camp, giving Conner a chance to solidify the No. 2 spot.

Conner was limited in spring practice with a hamstring injury but should be good to go this week in Latrobe where he’ll likely receive the heaviest workload.

Knile Davis, who signed a one-year, $775,000 contract in free agency, brings four years of experience and could finally prove to be the Steelers’ answer at kick returns. As a running back, Davis is a slight upgrade over Fitzgerald Toussaint.

As the story said, this running back “battle” is all a moot point the minute Bell reports. Without a long-term deal in place, there’s even less incentive for the Steelers to lighten Bell’s workload. Bell's backup could prove to have some fantasy value so it's a battle worth watching.