Pittsburgh Steelers make final roster moves, decision on JuJu Smith-Schuster

As the Pittsburgh Steelers prepare for their Sunday night matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, they have announced that wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster will be placed on the team’s Injured Reserve list. The move does not come as much of a surprise after Smith-Schuster underwent surgery on his shoulder.

The injury weighed heavy on the Steelers receiver and it showed during his event for the JuJu foundation the following day after getting injured.

“I love this game so much, more than anyone will know,” said Smith-Schuster. “Football will always come first. Without football, I wouldn’t be who I am today. I cried that night because you never know what the future holds for you.”

The Pittsburgh Steelers lost wideout Juju Smith-Schuster in Sunday’s win at home against the Denver Broncos. Smith-Schuster left the game in the second quarter after taking a hit to his right shoulder from Broncos safety Kareem Jackson. It was revealed later that he suffered a dislocated shoulder and is likely to undergo surgery later this week. That surgery is expected to have him out of commission for about four months according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Smith Schuster, is currently on a one-year contract that he signed in the offseason. The one-year deal was essentially a bet on himself to prove that he is worthy of a large contract. Unfortunately, with this injury and the amount of time he will be out, it is unlikely that he will succeed in that mission this year.

Some good news for the Steelers

The Steelers will activate tackle Zach Banner from the Reserve/Injured Designated for Return List, placing him on the 53-man roster. He was originally placed on the Reserve/Injured list on Sept. 1 to start the season. Banner returned to practice on Sept. 29. Pittsburgh had 21 days to decide whether to activate him or not. But to make room for him on the roster, Smith-Schuster had to be placed on the Reserve/Injured list.

Banner also re-signed with Pittsburgh in the offseason for two years. The tackle is coming off a season-ending knee injury he suffered in Week 1 of the 2020 season against the New York Giants. But before that had won the right tackle spot when the injury ended his year. He was originally the fourth-round pick of the Indianapolis Colts back in 2017 but never played a regular-season snap with them. Banner has spent time with the Cleveland Browns in 2017 prior to signing with the Steelers in 2018.