After losing JuJu Smith-Schuster for the season to a shoulder injury, the Pittsburgh Steelers are trying to figure out how to replace him in the slot. In their Week 6 game against the Seattle Seahawks, it was Ray-Ray McCloud who played 60% of Pittsburgh’s offensive snaps. James Washington, on the other hand, played just 11% of snaps. Moving forward, Washington should see many more snaps in Smith-Schuster’s absence. The Steelers coaching staff has echoed this sentiment, which would add another layer of dependability to their offense.
James Washington Needs Expanded Role in Pittsburgh Steelers Offense
Awkward Scheme Fit
The main thing that held Washington back from playing more in Week 6 was his skillset. With Smith-Schuster out, the Steelers need a slot receiver. Washington is several things as a wide receiver, but a slot is not one of them. He’s a physical deep threat with good hands that does his best work on the outside of an offense. So, when it was time for someone to get snaps inside, it wasn’t going to be Washington. McCloud is better suited in that role. But there’s another option that could prove more effective for the Steelers.
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After Smith-Schuster’s injury, Chase Claypool is the best slot receiver remaining on the Steelers roster. The problem, though, is that Mike Tomlin and Ben Roethlisberger don’t seem interested in reducing Claypool’s snaps on the outside. There is a happy medium, though. Sometimes, Claypool can move to the slot with Diontae Johnson and James Washington out wide. Other times, McCloud can play in the slot and Claypool can stay outside. Claypool’s size, strength, and speed make him a matchup nightmare in the slot, and Pittsburgh should try to capitalize.
What James Washington Provides
Despite not being a flashy or explosive player, James Washington can be a valuable asset for the Steelers offense, especially in Smith-Schuster’s absence. Without him, the team is lacking their most physical receiver and one willing to do the dirty work to get the extra yards. Washington can fill that role well. He is very physical, certainly the best blocker in the receiving room. It won’t take you long to find a highlight of a big Steelers play where Washington was downfield throwing a key block. He also can make plays as a deep threat, which, unfortunately, requires the quarterback to throw an accurate deep ball. But as a dependable receiver who can make plays downfield and play physically, Washington offers plenty of upside.
Coaching Staff Agrees
After their game with Seattle, Steelers wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard addressed Washington’s lack of snaps. To sum it up, he mentioned that Washington was dealing with an injury and didn’t get a full week of practice. Since Washington hasn’t played much in the slot before, Hilliard didn’t feel it would be productive to play Washington in the slot with minimal practice there. The Steelers have a bye this week, so Washington should be healthy and get plenty of practice reps in the slot before Week 8.
Unfortunately, Hilliard’s comments echo the sentiment that Claypool will stay predominantly on the outside. Moving forward, it seems like Washington and McCloud will share snaps in the slot as Washington gets more reps at the position. It’s good that Washington will be on the field, but it would be nice for Pittsburgh to play Claypool in the slot. Not only would he excel there, but it would open up some snaps to play outside for Washington, where he does his best work.
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