PITTSBURGH — I respect Mike Tomlin's wisdom and consider him one of the top coaches in the NFL. He loves JuJu Smith-Schuster as a football player.
"He's physically and mentally tough," Tomlin told Steelers.com late last season. "I just think he brings a can-do attitude always. He is the leader of the young guns. Anybody who knows him, his teammates know he is an energy-bringer. He is a team player-first."
Tomlin went on to predict Smith-Schuster, though just 24, will be a team captain one day.
I also respect Ben Roethlisberger's judgment when it comes to wide receivers. He, too, loves Smith-Schuster.
"I'm glad he's on my team," Roethlisberger said late last season. "I hope I can play with him for a long time." Roethlisberger repeatedly has called Smith-Schuster the Steelers' No. 1 receiver.
Tomlin and Roethlisberger love that Smith-Schuster is back for one more season.
I don't like it at all.
The Steelers are a lesser team because of it.
Apparently, the Steelers will trade or release Steven Nelson to make room for Smith-Schuster under their tight salary cap.
That is a big mistake for depth reasons.
The Steelers really don't need Smith-Schuster. Diontae Johnson is a better receiver. So is Chase Claypool. James Washington is an adequate No. 3. Eric Ebron, a de facto wide receiver, is a tight end in official position only.
Cornerback is a much weaker position for the Steelers after they lost Mike Hilton to free agency last week. If Nelson leaves, they'll have Joe Haden and Cam Sutton as their starters with Justin Layne as their third corner. Haden will be 32 on April 14 — although if it came down to keeping him or Nelson, the team made the right call. Sutton has started just eight games in four seasons, six last season. Layne did little in his first two seasons to show he is a top player.
Now, factor in the Steelers' draft history. They have been much more successful bringing in receivers than cornerbacks. Receivers are easier to find and develop than cornerbacks for most teams.
By letting Nelson go, the Steelers' defense — the alleged strength of the team, right? — will be become even less effective. That defense already lost Hilton, Bud Dupree, Vince Williams and Tyson Alualu last week. Dupree's departure alone could be a killer.
Bringing back Smith-Schuster makes no sense when all of that is considered.
That isn't to say Smith-Schuster isn't a fine player. Tomlin is right when he talks about the kid's toughness. How many times did Smith-Schuster turn a short pass into a first down last season, when a less physical receiver would have been stopped short?
But Smith-Schuster isn't a No. 1 receiver. His production hasn't been the same since Antonio Brown — a true No. 1 in every sense — left the Steelers. His statistical fall in 2019 was understandable to a degree because Roethlisberger missed all but the first game-and-a-half with an elbow injury that required surgery. But last season with Roethlisberger? Smith-Schuster had 97 catches but averaged just 8.6 yards per catch. That ranked 126th among NFL receivers.
The other NFL clubs noticed.
Smith-Schuster expected a big-money, long-term deal in free agency. He all but said his goodbyes to Pittsburgh and the Steelers on social media a few days before it began. But the rich offers never came. Nothing even resembling a big offer came. That's why Smith-Schuster came back to the Steelers on a one-year deal for $8 million, less than he could have received from the Baltimore Ravens or the Kansas City Chiefs, according to multiple reports.
Clearly, Smith-Schuster is comfortable with Tomlin and Roethlisberger. He said he has talked with new offensive coordinator Matt Canada and perhaps has been given assurances he'll be used differently in the offense this season than he was last season, when he was nothing more than a singles hitter. He knows if he stays healthy and has a good season, he'll be in a better position to cash in next year when the salary cap is expected to increase significantly.
It really is easy to see this working out for Smith-Schuster.
But it is almost impossible to see it working out for the Steelers.
