Pittsburgh Steelers to rely on wide receiver depth to help replace JuJu Smith-Schuster

The Pittsburgh Steelers offense was dealt a heavy blow when they lost receiver Juju Smith-Schuster in Sunday’s win against the Denver Broncos. And after learning that his injury will sideline him for four months, the Steelers are now searching for answers to help in his absence.

Head coach Mike Tomlin addressed the team’s state of mind going forward without Smith-Schuster for possibly the season.

“I’m sorry for JuJu. I’m appreciative of him – the spirit that he brings, the effort that he brings, the quality of his play. But that’s what makes football the ultimate team game,” said the Steelers head coach. “We’ll be calling on a number of people to bridge the gap in the short and the long term in terms of bringing what he provides. When you’re talking about losing a guy like JuJu and how he functions within the framework of our offense, usually you’re talking about multiple people assuming his role in some form or fashion, particularly in the short term.”

Steelers young receiving core

The Pittsburgh headman doesn’t see the replacement of one of his key offensive targets as a one-man job. It’s more of a breaking down of the roles and issuing out tasks to all available resources. And the Steelers still have a plethora of young options in the receiving core. Aside from last year’s rookie standout, Chase Claypool, they still have Diontae Johnson, James Washington, Ray-Ray McCloud, and Cody White on the main roster. And they just added shifty slot receiver, Anthony Miller. They swiped him from the Jacksonville Jaguars before he could sign to their practice squad.

“However unfortunate the injury is for JuJu,” said Tomlin, “It does provide an opportunity for James to expand his role and to do some things that we all know he’s capable of doing. It provides an opportunity for Ray-Ray McCloud to expand his role and continue to develop as a receiver and get more opportunities in that space.”

With as many young talented receivers as the Steelers have, someone is bound to have limited opportunities, and as Tomlin pointed out, Smith-Schuster’s injury will provide opportunities for others behind him, like McCloud and Washington.

Pittsburgh would have preferred to have not lost one of its most productive receivers to a likely season-ending injury, but this gives them an opportunity to see just what kind of talent they have at wide receiver. Right now, with the NFL’s worst rushing attack, there will be plenty of opportunities to go around. Mike Tomlin believes it will take more than one person to replace Smith-Schuster; it’s a good thing the Steelers have an abundance of options.