Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver, JuJu Smith-Schuster, missed all of OTAs and mini camp this offseason, and left practice on Sunday with an undisclosed injury – Leaving room for addition at receiver.
No one really wants Dez Bryant in Pittsburgh. At least that’s all you see scrolling through Twitter. The fans are content with their group of Antonio Brown, JuJu Smith-Schuster and James Washington. But for the second time this offseason, JuJu has left for reasons no one knows, leaving questions to his health heading into the season.
Everyone wants Smith-Schuster on the field come Week 1. If that means he can’t practice for a week then so be it. But all summer, the wide receiver has watched from the sidelines as his teammates practiced. First, for a knee injury he gave little details on. Now, it’s for another undisclosed problem that’s forcing him to miss time.
Without Smith-Schuster, the offense has a gapping hole at wide receiver. James Washington is only a rookie, and Eli Rogers and Justin Hunter aren’t starting wide receivers in the NFL. Meaning all the rumors of Dez Bryant possibly coming to Pittsburgh could fall into place.
If the team feels as though Smith-Schuster is going to out an extended period of time, or that this injury is going to continue to reoccur, they could be looking to add a security blanket before the season begins.
The best name to add to this position is Bryant. He may have had an off season the last two years, but he’s a Pro Bowl caliber player when he reaches it. Not looking for nearly as much money as he earned in Dallas, he may be happy to join a roster that includes Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell, especially with a quarterback like Ben Roethlisberger throwing him the ball. The Steelers will likely need to free up some cap space, but they’ve proven before it isn’t impossible to bring in veterans.
More details of Smith-Schuster’s injury will reveal the level of need the Steelers will have at receiver. As the week moves on, this could be a topic gaining more and more ground. Antonio Brown has already started recruiting Bryant on Twitter, telling him to come play with him. If the rest of the team feels the same way, the Steelers could have a new wideout in the coming weeks.