Predicting what happens to Steelers 2021 signings in 2022

Steelers JuJu Smith-Schuster

If there is one player that has to regret signing with the Steelers this offseason, it’s JuJu Smith-Schuster. The veteran signed a rare one-year year deal to return to the team in hopes of improving his value, but that never happened. His injury was unfortunate, but that isn’t the reason he likely regrets signing the deal. The team still refused to play him on the outside or deep on offense.

At this point, anyone that is signing him is still banking on him returning to his earlier form. He has proven to be a fine safety blanket and short option, but he hasn’t been a regular deep threat in almost three years. His limitations mixed in with his injury will likely mean another one-year deal for the veteran. Given the Steelers quarterback questions, that new deal will almost certainly be with a new team.

While returning to the team was exciting at first, it became clear early on that the Steelers were set to continue to misuse the veteran each week. As a result, it makes it almost a certainty that Smith-Schuster opts to play elsewhere next season. With the rebuild and quarterback questions set to plague this team, a new home for Smith-Schuster is the likely outcome.

The Steelers had a mix of old and new faces join them in free agency last. While almost every name on this list has seen playing time, not all are locked to be back. While there is still plenty of games to be played, here is an early look as to which 2021 free agents will be back in 2022.