Steelers practice squad WR Steven Sims will put McCloud on short leash

Steven Sims was impressive at times for Washington. Here’s why the Steelers new practice squad receiver will put Ray-Ray McCloud on a short leash. 

When the Steelers were forced to cut their roster down to just 53 players last summer, many were surprised to see that it was Ray-Ray McCloud, not Ryan Switzer, who made the final cut for Pittsburgh as the team’s fifth wide receiver. While McCloud was a solid return man in 2020, I wouldn’t go as far as to say that his spot on the roster is going to be secure all season.

During the preseason, some thought there was a slight chance that Matthew Sexton could push to become the punt return specialist for this team in 2021. While Sexton flashed as a returned, he didn’t do nearly enough as a receiver to warrant strong consideration.

However, the fact that Ray-Ray McCloud was playing up until the closing seconds in a blowout loss in the preseason finale against the Carolina Panthers is evidence that the Steelers wanted to see more from him. During this game, McCloud had two bad drops and failed to get his feet in bounds on arguably the best pass of the night from Dwayne Haskins.

After roster cuts were made, the Steelers added second-year receiver, Steven Sims, to their practice squad. Sims spent his first two seasons with Washington before being let go following cutdowns. His presence on the practice squad could put McCloud on notice.

Steelers practice squad receiver could push for McCloud’s job

I have no complaints about Ray-Ray McCloud’s performance in 2020. I thought he was very good as a punt returner and when used as a gadget on jet sweeps. However, I’d be lying if I said that McCloud didn’t have issues in the receiving game.

Though I don’t see this as a big problem, it has the potential to be with one injury to a Steelers wide receiver. If McCloud is asked to play more on offense, it’s going to be easy to see where he is lacking. He doesn’t have natural hands or a great feel for the position.

This is where Sims comes in. While not quite as effective returning punts last year, Sims has been respectable in the return game in his first two seasons for Washington, and he has ample experience returning both punts and kicks. As a rookie, he returned a kick 91 yards for a touchdown.

However, it’s on offense that he could be an improvement. Sims is a more natural receiver than McCloud and can operate as a true slot option – not just a gadget. He averaged more yards per reception last year than JuJu Smith-Schuster. In part-time action over his first two seasons, Sims has earned 61 receptions for 575 yards and 5 touchdowns despite missing 4 games in 2020, according to Pro Football Reference. McCloud, meanwhile, has just 113 receiving yards and 0 touchdowns in his first 3 seasons.

As of now, McCloud’s job isn’t in jeopardy. However, should he begin to struggle early in the season, the Steelers may not be afraid to turn to a quality option with much more experience on offense in Steven Sims.