5 players the Steelers were right to move on from in 2022

Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster

From a personal standpoint, it was sad to see the Steelers move on from JuJu Smith-Schuster this offseason. After two seasons of great production, the team moved Smith-Schuster to the slot full-time. Not only did they move him to the slot, but they also changed their offensive scheme and became focused on quick and short throws. It wasn’t an offense that he could thrive in, thus his production fell off quickly.

Frankly, this split was what was best for both parties. Smith-Schuster still has plenty of time to recoup his value with the Chiefs. There, he can be more of a down-the-field threat as opposed to a glorified running back with his routes. He proved to be effective there before, so there is little reason to believe he can’t recapture some of his earlier success in the Chiefs offense.

As for the Steelers, they will likely play both Chase Claypool and Calvin Austin in the slot now in their new-look offense. Both are better threats after the catch, and Austin in particular has the speed and burst to be an effective weapon there. Smith-Schuster didn’t have a great fit in this offense, thus moving on was the best option for both sides here.

While the Steelers made quite a few additions this offseason, they also parted ways with a lot of talent as well. That said, some of the players that are gone seemed like natural options to move on from. In particular, these five former Steelers made sense for the team to move on from.