Steelers Need to, Plan to and Could Use James Washington More
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers' biggest offensive challenge isn't running the ball. The team, as much as they would like to have a strong running game, doesn't - and that's life.
So instead, they move forward. Looking through other options and other areas of improvement, the biggest name that stands out is wide receiver James Washington.
"James Washington is a guy that is getting on the field and needs to get on the field more," Ben Roethlisberger said after the game Wednesday. "But it's not because anybody's not doing good, it's just because he is a player that can make plays. We always talk about guys staying fresh. We need to rotate guys, get him on the field, because he's hungry, wants to be out there and make plays for us."
For those who didn't watch, Washington hauled in a mere two receptions for 19 yards against the Baltimore Ravens but came up with a game-sealing third-down catch that may have been the play of the game.
"I have 100 percent confidence in him, or as [Maurkice] Pouncey would say 1,000 percent confidence," Roethlisberger said about Washington. "You know, I wouldn't have thrown it if I didn't believe in him. Maybe I would have put a little more zip on it, make it a little easier on him, but when you give a guy a chance to make a play and he makes it and he makes it over and over then that man should continue to get opportunities."
Which leaves the question, how much more does the third-year wide receiver need to do in order to earn more playing time?
"I think he will continue to get opportunities, as he should, because he puts the work, the time, the conditioning, the mental aspect of it," Roethlisberger said. "He deserves to get on the field more, and I think we will see him."
Through 11 games, Washington has only played 42% of the Steelers' offensive snaps. He's currently fifth on the team in receptions, trailing running back James Conner, who sits fourth.
And at this point, there's nothing holding the Steelers back from implementing more Washington into the game plan.
Against the Baltimore Ravens, the Steelers' receiving core, including Washington's one, had nine dropped passes. A clear sign of a sloppy week and an even sloppier game, the lack of production from any receiver - maybe outside of Smith-Schuster's eight receptions - left everyone talking about why it happened.
"Us sucking," was the explanation Mike Tomlin gave.
It probably was a bad week. The Steelers bounced game times three times before kicking off against the Ravens at 3:40 on a Wednesday. And despite an utterly disastrous offensive performance, they walked away with their 11th win.
Moving forward, that can't happen, though. The Steelers need contingency plans for when their offensive weapons aren't clicking, and finding ways to add Washington to the field more is priority one.
The Steelers gave up on solving the run game. They've also run out of depth on the offensive line to fill in when COVID-19 strikes. So, if they're going to jump on a train and try to add more security to their offense, Washington is the first answer.
The third-year receiver has time left on his contract, a place on this team for the next year or two and as reliable of hands as anyone on the roster.
The Steelers don't have a reason not to implement more Washington. Chase Claypool is trying to avoid the rookie wall, which he will hit, and without a commitment to the run game, Roethlisberger needs more options for his 40-plus pass attempts per week.
"He answers the bell when called upon. We're appreciative of that," Tomlin said on Wednesday. "Week to week we make plans that benefit us in terms of the matchup, and sometimes it includes him, and includes him heavily, and sometimes it doesn't."
Moving forward, it should.
Noah Strackbein is a Publisher with AllSteelers. Follow Noah on Twitter @NoahStrack, and AllSteelers @si_steelers.
