Pittsburgh Steelers misuse of WR James Washington is just plain sad

Steelers receiver James Washington rarely saw the field against the Seahawks in Week 6. Here’s why his misuse this season has been so disheartening. 

James Washington’s lack of playing time is something that has not gone unnoticed by the media this season. Yet, no matter how matter highly the Pittsburgh Steelers seem to speak of their former second-round pick, it doesn’t seem to change the fact that Washington can barely see the field.

When JuJu Smith-Schuster went down with a season-ending shoulder injury in Week 5 against the Denver Broncos, many thought Washington would finally get a chance to shine in a contract year. So far that doesn’t appear to be the case.

Prior to suffering a groin injury in Week 4 against the Green Bay Packers, Washington had his best game of the season — catching 4 of 5 targets for 69 yards, according to Pro Football Reference. Unfortunately, he missed the following game against the Broncos.

Now back on the field, many thought we would see a heavy dose of Washington with JuJu out. After catching a 9-yard pass on the first drive of the game against the Seahawks, Washington never saw another target. In fact, he rarely played the rest of the game.

Why didn’t Steelers use James Washington more?

When asked this, it seems like it was a Matt Canada preference. The Steelers preferred to deploy Ray-Ray McCloud in the slot. McCloud finished the game catching 2 passes for 18 yards. While he didn’t necessarily have many negative plays, I think the Steelers went about this situation all wrong.

Last week, I detailed all the reasons why Chase Claypool should replace JuJu in the slot. In addition to earning over 100 yards and a touchdown while operating out of the slot position last week, the Steelers moved him back to the outside against the Seahawks — a position that he and Ben Roethlisberger have had trouble connecting with each other.

My argument was the Claypool should fill Smith-Schuster’s role in the slot thanks to his ability to stretch the seam and move after the catch. By doing so, allows Pittsburgh to get their best lineup on the field, with James Washington assuming duties as the team’s ‘Z’ receiver opposite of Diontae Johnson.

Since leading the team in receiving in 2019, James Washington has proved to be far too good of a receiver to simply let rot on the sidelines. Early in the season, he has caught 10 of 14 targets for 108 yards.

With a severe lack of success in the passing game in Week 6, the Steelers really need to find a way to get Washington on the field more moving forward. He’s clearly a more natural receiver than Ray-Ray McCloud, and giving him a handful of snaps is just plain sad.