By: Michael Stiffler, @Stiffeezy_ on Twitter
SteelerNation.com
The Pittsburgh Steelers 2019 leading receiver James Washington is finding himself at the bottom of the pecking order midway through the season. Washington had a very explosive 2019 year in a season full of dull moments. He routinely made the "splash" plays that would jumpstart a stale offense to what might be their only touchdown of the day. He regularly made the tough catches improving on his shaky rookie season. He averaged 16.7 yards a catch, but yet each week we are seeing less and less of Washington. Washington started off the season playing roughly 50% of the offensive snaps. When Diontae Johnson was out or exited early, Washington found himself on the field roughly 66% of the time. In the past three weeks since Johnson's return, Washington has only seen 41 offensive snaps. During Johnson's injury, a few things happened to push Washington down the totem pole. The amount of competition in the receiver room has increased.
The headliner of the group, JuJu Smith-Schuster, is finally healthy this year and has been Ben Roethlisberger's go to pass catcher when they need a play, especially on 3rd down. Johnson, has been in and out of the lineup, but when he is in, he has Roethlisberger's eye. Johnson has continuously been peppered with targets even when the two don't seem to be on the same page. Roethlisberger has started to develop a good chemistry with tight end Eric Ebron, which has made his presence more regular on the field. On top of that, Ebron seems to have progressed as a blocker making him more versatile. Chase Claypool's emergence on the field has been one of the biggest impacts to Washington's playing time. Claypool has been a touchdown machine and is routinely making big play after big play. Roethlisberger continues to place trust in the rookie every week routinely making Claypool the guy who gets the deep ball targets. Last but not least, Ray-Ray McCloud has made a name for himself as of late. McCloud took over return duties in Johnson's absence and has shown he has the ability to make a man miss in the open field. Also he has been the benefactor of a few jet sweep and end around plays that have worked out well for the Steelers. McCloud has even out-snapped Washington 50-23 in the past two weeks.
Now I want it to be known this isn't a knock on him or an implication that he has underperformed. He has made the plays needed when he's been called upon. Luckily enough for the Steelers, he is the consummate teammate always celebrating with his fellow wide receivers. It is just the fact the Steelers have a lot of talented pass catchers. So, while he may not see 634 snaps or lead the team in receiving this year, it is good to know that Washington will be ready when called upon and he will represent the black and gold proudly.
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