Tag: JuJu Smith-Schuster

Steelers players, past and present, keeping occupied during pandemic

Pittsburgh Steelers players are showing the world, via social media, just how they’re spending their time these days.

JuJu Smith-Schuster likes to pass his time with a combo of Madden NFL and weights. Ryan Shazier hangs with the fam. James Conner is staying in shape to get back to 2018 form. Devlin Hodges shows off his weight room while Mike Hilton shows off his baby daughter. And James Harrison does push-ups Deebo style — with a little extra weight.

How are you spending your self-isolation time?

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Which player will lead the Steelers in receiving in 2020?

The Pittsburgh Steelers need more consistency from their receivers in 2020.

Following the whole Antonio Brown charade that was the 2019 offseason, it was presumed that JuJu Smith-Schuster would flourish in the featured receiver role.

Afterall, Smith-Schuster led the team in receiving yards in 2018 with 1,426 to Brown’s 1,297. The transition would be smooth, right?

In a perfect world, probably.

In six quarters with Ben Roethlisberger at the helm, Smith-Schuster caught 11 of 16 targets for 162 yards. He was on pace for a 1,280-yard season.

Then Roethlisberger went down for the season, and the Mason Rudolph-Devlin Hodges carousel began — a less than ideal scenario for Smith-Schuster to excel.

The receiver suffered what would ultimately be a season-ending knee injury in Week 12 with 552 yards and three touchdowns to his name.

Will he bounce back in 2020 and lead the corps in receptions, or will it be another wideout?

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What could Jets WR Robby Anderson do for the Steelers?

Jets wide receiver Robby Anderson is a free agent. Are the Pittsburgh Steelers interested?

New York Jets wide receiver Robby Anderson is on the free-agent market. Some say the Steelers need a more reliable WR.

The fifth-year pro out of Temple has put up some WR2 numbers in his career — all without stellar quarterback play.

Anderson has compiled 3,059 yards on 207 receptions and 20 touchdowns. His career-high came in 2017 when he had 941 receiving and seven TDs with Josh McCown at QB. Imagine what he could do with QB Ben Roethlisberger throwing him the rock.

Anderson is the kind of deep-threat option that the Steelers are looking for. According to Pro Football Focus, he was on the receiving end of 23 explosive pass plays (15+ yards) in 2019.

The problem isn’t with his production, but his price tag. Anderson is reportedly seeking north of $10 million. To put that in perspective, his desired salary is right around the neighborhood of Indianapolis Colts’ Devin Funchess, Miami Dolphins’ DeVante Parker, and New York Giants’ Sterling Shepard.

With a wealth of talent at the WR position in this year’s draft, the Steelers would rather risk/reward going with a rookie than pay Anderson — especially with JuJu Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson at the head of the WR line in Pittsburgh.

 

Ben Roethlisberger and JuJu Smith-Schuster send Ramon Foster love

Steelers players congratulate their former teammate on his retirement

Pittsburgh Steelers players took to Twitter Monday to congratulate their former teammate Ramon Foster on his retirement.

Foster retired Monday after 11 seasons with the Steelers. He was the second longest-tenured player behind Ben Roethlisberger.

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2020 NFL draft: WR Laviska Shenault NFL draft profile

Steelers Wire draft profile featuring Laviska Shenault (WR, Colorado)

During Laviska Shenault, Jr.’s three seasons with the Colorado Buffalos, he accumulated 1,943 yards on 149 receptions and 10 touchdowns. He also ran for 280 yards and added another seven touchdowns on the ground. On special teams, he returned a punt 55 yards for a score as a freshman and a kick 54 yards for a score.

Those numbers lead many to believe that Shenault is the most versatile receiver in the 2020 draft. Early mock drafts projected Shenault to go in the first round. Due to durability issues and questionable production, however, his stock may fall. It’s inevitable that players get injured – it can happen to any player at any time. Were the receiver’s modest collegiate stats could be due to the lack of a playmaker at QB? Should Shenault land with a team with a pass-heavy offense, we’ll get our answer.

Shenault possesses key attributes of a successful receiver – speed, explosiveness, and physicality. The areas that need to be developed – route-running, ball-tracking, and blocking – can be honed through experience and proper coaching at the pro level.

Laviska Shenault | WR | Colorado

Height | 6-2

Weight | 220

Class | Junior

College Bio

College Stats

It’s no secret that the Steelers love to draft receivers. Since taking over as general manager in 2000, Kevin Colbert has selected 22 receivers – only 2003, 2004 and 2011 were receiver-less drafts.

The Steelers have depth at the position; however, with JuJu Smith-Schuster set to become a free agent in 2021 and inconsistent film from Dionte Johnson and James Washington, Pittsburgh may want to snag the top-rated Shenault with its first pick (49th).

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The Steelers face an uphill battle if CBA is voted down

The Pittsburgh Steelers are in a world of hurt if the CBA gets voted down

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a league-low $1.6 million in salary cap space heading into free agency. This figure means the freedom to restructure contracts is an absolute priority; however, if the Collective Bargaining Agreement doesn’t pass, Pittsburgh would be in an inconceivable bind.

If the 2020 league year begins without a new labor agreement, the 30 percent rule – a stipulation that governs seasons in which the CBA is expiring – will come into play. This regulation caps year-over-year salary increases at 30 percent and limits how much a team can restructure contracts.

If the CBA is approved, teams will benefit from interim cap flexibility through structuring contracts fortified with bonuses, small first-year cap numbers, and deferred cap ramifications.

For the Steelers, time is of the essence when it comes to keeping as much of a playoff-caliber squad intact. Short of landing an elite, franchise QB before Ben Roethlisberger retires – which the Steelers show no signs of doing – the window to win a championship is about to close. If the CBA does pass, it will allow the team to retain or sign others (B.J. Finney, Nick Vannett) and save them from cutting some key players (Vance McDonald, Zach Banner).

It’s all but official that the Steelers will tag Bud Dupree. According to OvertheCap.com, the cost of the linebacker franchise tag is a cool $16.26 million – placing it on Dupree would put the Steelers over the $14 million salary cap.

Then there comes the issue of JuJu Smith-Schuster, who is still playing on his rookie contract. Since Smith-Schuster was selected in the second round, there is no fifth-year option, and he is eligible to sign a new deal following the 2020 season. Typically, re-signing a Pro Bowl player in the last year of his rookie contract is an offseason priority, but it may take a back seat if a new labor agreement isn’t struck. Not only would the 30 percent rule hinder offseason contract signings, but the concern of a work stoppage could also further complicate the situation.

General manager Kevin Colbert will find a way to resolve this predicament – he always does.

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2020 NFL draft: WR Tee Higgins NFL draft profile

Steelers Wire draft profile featuring wide receiver Tee Higgins (Clemson Tigers)

Tamaurice “Tee” Higgins, a projected first-round wide receiver, graduated Tennessee’s Oak Ridge High School as a five-star recruit. He initially committed to the University of Tennessee before changing to Clemson University.

Higgins appeared in seven games his freshman year and entered his sophomore season as a starter. Following a spectacular performance in his junior year, Higgins announced he would forgo his final year of eligibility and declared for the 2020 NFL Draft.

Tee Higgins | WR | Clemson University

Height | 6-4

Weight | 216

Class | Junior

College Bio

College Stats

In 30 starts (43 games) at Clemson, Higgins compiled 2,448 yards on 135 receptions. He scored a touchdown on 20 percent of his catches at Clemson, which resulted in being tied for the most receiving touchdowns in school history (27) with NFL stars DeAndre Hopkins and Sammy Watkins. Higgins left Clemson as the only player in school history to record double-digit touchdown receptions in consecutive seasons.

Higgins can play in all three receiver spots — X, slot, and Z — which makes him a valuable asset to any team.

In a draft class that is chock-full of talented receiver prospects, Higgins has all the tangibles — size, speed, and pass-catching — to be a No. 1 receiver in the NFL.

Several teams are looking to upgrade at the receiver position, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are currently without a first-round pick. As we know, though, anything can happen. The Steelers are known to draft receivers high, and 2020 will be no different. Should the unlikely happen and Higgins is still available at 49, Pittsburgh will have themselves a towering target for Ben Roethlisberger. The versatile receiver would be an excellent addition to JuJu Smith-Schuster, Dionte Johnson, and James Washington.

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Antonio Brown makes it clear he does not like Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster

Antonio Brown didn’t have a lot of good to say about JuJu Smith-Schuster.

On Thursday, former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown continued his apology tour with a stop op daytime sports talk radio in Pittsburgh. Brown went on The Morning Show on The Fan and talked about his relationship with his former team and teammates.

For the most part, Brown came across apologetic, albeit disingenuous. But when he talked about wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, he made it clear there was not apologizing going to happen and his level of petty knows no limits.

I have nothing against JuJu Smith-Schuster. Why would I? I am who he wants to be. I’m in a position when he’s describing to be. Running around with 500 yards and everyone thinks he’s the world. Steelers didn’t make the playoffs. That is a problem.

I gave the guy JuJu Smith all the positive cheat codes. All the stuff to be successful. And to watch a guy call me out when I’m moving forward for positive. The first thing he do when I get picked is post me like he ready.

Wow. It’s kind of crazy to listen to the way Brown went on and about how sorry he was for all he did but when it comes to Smith-Schuster one picture hurt Brown’s ego so much that he can’t let it go.

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Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster reaches out to Antonio Brown

JuJu Smith-Schuster hoping to reconnect with Antonio Brown.

Take this one for what it’s worth.

On Thursday, former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown made the above post on Instagram. Some took it as Brown extending the olive branch to his former teammate. We cautioned not to read too much into it.

But it seems JuJu Smith-Schuster is taking the post at face value and once again is choosing to be the bigger man. Smith-Schuster sent out a tweet asking Brown to unblock him so they can talk.

Brown threw serious shade at Smith-Schuster on Twitter at the end of the season after the young wide receiver saw a significant dropoff in production in his first season sans Brown. Brown has also taken shots at his former quarterback, former agent, former employer and even ESPN. He keeps busy.

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Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster concerned with Antonio Brown

JuJu Smith-Schuster is worried about Antonio Brown.

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster has been making the rounds with the media during Super Bowl week and of course, he’s asked about the bizarre behavior from former teammate Antonio SmiktBrown.

Despite how Brown has publicly disparaged Smith-Schuster on social media, Smith-Schuster continues to be the mature one in this, sharing genuine concern for Brown while admitting this is a different Brown than when he saw on the field.

It’s different, for sure. I’m concerned, like you guys. It’s a tough situation for a guy if you take away his job and his passion. Being a guy looking from the outside to the inside, he’s definitely a different dude than who he was on the field.

The Steelers traded Brown to the Las Vegas Raiders in the offseason after his behaviors became too bizarre and toxic to keep on the team.

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