WR James Washington
James Washington has received a fair amount of work over the first three games – earning 5 targets per contest, on average. However, that doesn’t seem to be enough. While Washingon is averaging just 9.2 yards per reception, that has more to do with when Ben Roethlisberger chooses to target him.
When he does get the ball thrown his way, Washington has been impressive – catching 10 of 15 passes this year. Apart from being credited with two drops early in the season, Washington has had hands like glue.
What’s most impressive is that many of his catches have come on key 3rd down, and even 4th down, conversions. He has been clutch late in the game at moving the chains, and he showed last year how good he is at adjusting to poorly thrown balls down the field. Washington has done enough to earn more looks in the passing game.
Though the Steelers are far from being a perfect offense in 2020, these four players have been impressive in the early going. If Pittsburgh can continue to find ways to get them involved, this offense could take another leap forward.