PITTSBURGH — A few years after the Steelers made him a second-round pick, James Washington is ready to continue his career elsewhere.
At least that’s the narrative according to a report Friday from ESPN, that Washington has requested a trade due to lack of playing time. Which is fair, considering he’s been passed up on the depth chart by Diontae Johnson and Chase Claypool over the past two seasons, and JuJu Smith-Schuster is still the team’s lead receiver.
But Smith-Schuster was widely expected to leave this offseason in free agency, which would’ve led to a larger role for Washington. When Smith-Schuster returned on a one-year deal, that created another logjam in a crowded receiving corps.
Washington had just 30 catches for 392 yards and five touchdowns in 2020, but he’s arguably one of the more talented No. 4 wideouts in the NFL. And if the Steelers had any of their top three miss time due to injury, Washington could step right in the way he did two seasons ago when he had a team-high 735 yards on 44 receptions.
The addition of Claypool last year in the second round put pressure on Washington, given that both primarily play on the outside. Washington was a deep threat in college at Oklahoma State with Mason Rudolph as his quarterback. In Pittsburgh, his opportunities are limited, and he played just 44% of the offensive snaps in his third season.
Washington may well have a legitimate case to be moved, but that doesn’t mean the Steelers have to do it and sacrifice their own depth. Dealing him wouldn’t save much on the salary cap, and would make Ray-Ray McCloud the fourth receiver. Beyond that, there would be a crew of Anthony Johnson, Rico Bussey, Mathew Sexton, Tyler Simmons, Isaiah McKoy and Cody White — all undrafted — competing to round out the depth chart.
Plus there’s the matter of what he’d fetch in return, considering he’s in the last season of his rookie deal. He’d be a relatively affordable option for other teams, but would also be a one-year rental of sorts. Anthony Miller, who was taken nine picks before Washington in 2018 and has had similar NFL production, was recently traded from Chicago to Houston in exchange for a 2022 fifth-rounder (the Bears also sent a 2022 seventh-rounder in the swap). The Steelers likely would be looking at a late-round compensation, as well.
Oddly enough, Dez Bryant — another former star pass-catcher at Oklahoma State several years before Washington got there — tweeted Thursday night: “If you are a team and want a top tier WR trade for James Washington….. thank me later.”
So, maybe Bryant knew something about Washington’s intentions. Reached by text, Washington’s agent Drew Rosenhaus declined comment.
