Ranking Pittsburgh Steelers best options at outside receiver in 2021
By Tommy Jaggi
3. James Washington
James Washington didn’t have the smoothest start to his NFL career back in 2018, and he blew a few big opportunities as a rookie. However, he has been quite impressive over the past two seasons for the Steelers – even leading the team in receiving yards in 2019. Sadly, Washington hasn’t gotten the credit or the looks in the passing game he deserves.
Though Washington isn’t the type to complain about anything, the Steelers are doing themselves a disservice by not looking his way more. Though JuJu is a better overall player than Washington, I truly believe that Washington is a better option in the passing game outside of the hashes. The former second-round pick isn’t a burner, but he has good build-up speed to go with impressive ball-tracking ability.
Washington and Chase Claypool share a similar role as the ‘Z’ receiver, so it’s not always easy to get the two of them on the field at the same time. However, in four-wide receiver sets, I think it would be wise to roll with Washington and Claypool on the outside with JuJu and Diontae Johnson in the slot.
Washington doesn’t look very impressive on paper, but he shows up big on the outside for the Steelers when they need him most. I hope he sees an uptick in both snaps and targets in 2021.