Ryan Clark: Steelers Ex-Receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster Was A Shameless "Cancer" In Long List Of Idiot Receivers

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a long-standing tradition of being able to draft and develop talent at the wide receiver position. Lynn Swann and John Stallworth helped the franchise win four Super Bowls in the 1970s. Hines Ward was a monster of a blocker who terrorized other teams in the 2000s and helped win a pair of Lombardi Trophies. Antonio Brown had a stretch where he was almost unquestionably the best pass-catcher in the sport. Recently though, the Steelers have dealt with some frustration and different antics from their receivers. 

Former Steelers safety Ryan Clark called out a bunch of recent Steelers receivers for conduct detrimental to the team. During a segment on ESPN's NFL Live on Thursday, he laid into Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin for allowing this culture of diva receivers to fester and continue even when the players get moved elsewhere. 

"The other piece of it for me is the state of that room, the wide receiver room," Clark said. "From Antonio Brown to JuJu [Smith-Schuster] to Chase Claypool to Diontae [Johnson] and now to George Pickens, there has been a cancer in that room." 

There's debate on some of these names and to what degree their actions were harmful to the team. There's clearly no contest in naming Antonio Brown the biggest headcase of the group. Despite winning a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2020, his career took a massive nosedive after he was traded by the Steelers to the then-Oakland Raiders in 2018. 

JuJu Smith-Schuster was a fun-loving young player who was mostly liked by the Pittsburgh fan base until his social media antics ticked up. He also picked up a Super Bowl ring after leaving the Steelers for the Kansas City Chiefs, but since has dealt with injury and poor performance as a member of the New England Patriots. 

Chase Claypool came in and took the league by storm amassing 11 touchdowns to match Franco Harris' rookie franchise record for total scores in a season. He took a major step back in his second season scoring two touchdowns while his receiving yards and receptions took a slight dip. He became a headache in the locker room and Pittsburgh shipped him to the Chicago Bears at the 2022 trade deadline. He has continued to struggle and not accept any responsibility for his actions which resulted in him being sent to the Miami Dolphins where his usage has been almost non-existent.     

George Pickens and Diontae Johnson are the latest additions to the Steelers' diva receiver club. Both are immensely talented Johnson was a Second-Team All-Pro in his rookie season as a returner and made the Pro Bowl as a receiver in 2021. Pickens leads the team in receiving yards and targets. Both have also been involved in their share of controversy in 2023. 

Johnson dealt with a hamstring injury that kept him out of four games and then returned to the lineup against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 7. He scored his first touchdown since Ben Roethlisberger was throwing him the ball against the Tennessee Titans. He was called out by Clark and others for his lack of effort on a fumble during the team's Week 12 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. He did however, issue an apology to his teammates for his actions. 

Finally, we get to Pickens. His antics in 2023 speak for themselves. After his blocking received praise earlier in the season, he was seen not blocking at all for Jaylen Warren against the Indianapolis Colts when the running back could've scored a touchdown if Pickens had taken his guy. Instead of apologizing, Pickens made an excuse that he didn't want to get hurt. Tomlin has had to address Pickens' antics this season at large with the media, but is still standing behind him even if he has some major growing up to do. 

Steelers Need To Talk Less According To Clark 

Clark was part of a different era of Steelers teams where being in the playoffs and winning when you got there was the standard. That has changed with Pittsburgh not having a playoff victory since the 2016 season and being in danger of missing the playoffs for a second straight season. 

Clark said that the group needs to say a whole lot less, unless they can start stringing some more victories together. 

"This is a team that now talks more after they lose than when they win," Clark said. "And when you lose, you should keep your mouth shut and get to work. There’s no excuse for lack of effort."

Johnson and Pickens can still change the narrative around them with their actions in 2023. There's still time for both of them to right their wrongs, but if they don't, they as others before them have found the grass might not be greener somewhere else.   

How would you rank the Steelers' "cancer receivers?" Do you think Pickens and Johnson can turn it around? Comment below!

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