Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin confirmed that McDonald (reserve/COVID-19 list) won't be available to play Sunday against the Bengals, Chris Adamski of TribLive.com reports.

EDGE Analysis

McDonald's Week 10 absence comes as no surprise after he tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday. According to Alan Saunders of the Associated Press, McDonald experienced cold-like symptoms at practice last Friday, but he was cleared to play in the Steelers' Week 9 win over the Cowboys after testing negative for COVID-19 three times in a row. After Monday's positive test, however, McDonald will have to self-quarantine before potentially rejoining the Steelers in Week 11 if he's symptom-free and testing negative again. On Tuesday, the Steelers placed four players on the reserve/COVID-19 list who were determined to be high-risk close contacts of McDonald, but Tomlin is optimistic each of those players will be available against the Bengals if they continue to test negative throughout the week.