The Pittsburgh Steelers got some great news, as JuJu Smith-Schuster was cleared to return to practice. Could he return to the field for a playoff run?
The Steelers remarkably found themselves in the playoffs for the second consecutive season after the stars aligned in Week 18. Pittsburgh needed the Colts to lose and the Raiders and Chargers game to do anything but end in a tie.
Though this barely came to fruition, the Steelers are officially in the playoffs. However, they have the toughest task in football this week as they travel to Arrowhead Stadium to take on the Kansas City Chiefs. There is some good news, however. Teresa Varley of the team’s official site recently reported that wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster officially returned to practice on Thursday and it’s possible that he could return to the field sooner than expected.
While JuJu remains on the Reserve/Injured list, it’s only a matter of time before he’s activated to play with his team again. Smith-Schuster landed on IR with a serious shoulder injury all the way back on October 16th.
Could JuJu suit up for the Steelers in the playoffs?
With this recent news, fans are curious as to whether or not Smith-Schuster will be eligible to play in the playoffs. Technically, the answer is yes.
Now that JuJu has returned to practice, the team has 21 days to activate him to the active roster. While he could technically play as early as this week against the Kansas City Chiefs in the Wild Card game, we have no idea he’s close enough to suit up at this point in time, as JuJu has been out of commission for nearly three months.
When JuJu spoke with ESPN’s Brooke Pryor month, he gave himself a five percent chance at returning for the playoffs and noted that he probably wouldn’t be available until the AFC Championship Game or the Super Bowl (which is wishful thinking).
Though this seems discouraging, that doesn’t mean that JuJu couldn’t return sooner than he initially projected. The fact that he is currently practicing with the team is an excellent sign.
If Smith-Schuster is healthy enough to take the field for even 10-15 snaps this week, the Steelers should activate him in a heartbeat. While we don’t want JuJu to reactivate his shoulder injury, everything is currently on the line and there’s a good chance he chooses to sign elsewhere next season. Pittsburgh could even consider dressing him to use him as a decoy if they are worried that he’s not ready to take any big shots yet. To me, that’s more valuable than someone like WR Cody White or RB Kalen Ballage taking the field.
The Steelers will have to give it everything they’ve got to get past the Kansas City Chiefs this week. Though it seems unlikely that JuJu will be ready to play this week, perhaps the Steelers could get him back in the divisional round of the playoffs if they can steal an upset win on the road this week.