Ranking Steelers most efficient wide receivers so far in 2020
By Tommy Jaggi
The Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver corps is deeper than it has been in years. Here’s how each of their top four players is ranked in terms of efficiency in 2020.
I’ll admit, I was worried when Pittsburgh’s wide receiver room started to fall apart at the end of the 2018 season. The Steelers had moved on from Martavis Bryant thanks to his frequent suspensions, and the team was reaching a breaking point with star wide receiver, Antonio Brown.
During the 2018 offseason, Brown was shipped off to Las Vegas, as he practically forced his way out the door. This left Pittsburgh with JuJu Smith-Schuster as the only reliable receiving option on the team. Next to him last year was an inexperienced James Washington coming off a poor first season and a rookie third-round draft choice in Diontae Johnson.
While Washington and Johnson were still very much unproven at this time, the depth behind them was even scarier. Johnny Holton, a life-long special teams player, was asked to play a role on Pittsburgh’s offense last year, and it was disastrous. In addition, Pittsburgh relied on Ryan Switzer for slot duties before an injury ended his season.
Fortunately, things are looking much brighter in 2020. So far this season, Smith-Schuster looks like his old self while some other young receivers are receiving an increased workload.
But how are these players doing in terms of efficiency?
Raw stats certainly don’t tell the whole tale in the NFL, so it’s important to know exactly how the Steelers receivers are performing with the number of targets they are receiving. Here’s a breakdown of the top four most efficient receivers currently on Pittsburgh’s roster: