What would life be like without Antonio Brown? This was the question the Pittsburgh Steelers had to ask at the start of the 2019 season. After trading Brown away, the Steelers were hoping the rest of the roster would adjust and step up in his absence. But once Ben Roethlisberger went down with a season-ending injury in Week Two, everything changed.
It important to note, I’m only giving time to the team’s top three wide receivers because the drop off is so significant after them. The Steelers fourth-leading wide receiver in 2018 only caught eight passes.
Here’s how the top receivers did in 2019.
Diontae Johnson
The guy drafted to replace Brown sort of reminded people of him at times. Johnson led the team in receptions and receiving touchdowns and flashed some serious potential. His future looks very bright assuming Pittsburgh gets their quarterback situation sorted out.
2019 stats | 59 receptions | 680 receiving yards | 5 receiving touchdowns
James Washington
This was supposed to be a big year for Washington. And it was supposed to be an even bigger year once he was reunited with his old quarterback. Once Mason Rudolph became the starter we thought we’d see that old Oklahoma State magic again. But it never really happened and Washington actually saw his best production when Devlin Hodges was starting. Washington did lead the team in receiving yards.
2019 stats | 44 receptions | 735 receiving yards | 3 receiving touchdowns
JuJu Smith-Schuster
No receiver took a bigger hit in 2019 than Smith-Schuster. After catching 111 passes in 2018, Smith-Schuster’s production took a nosedive. This isn’t all on Smith-Schuster as the quarterback change hit him hard. As did a knee injury that kept him out of action for a good chunk of the season.
2019 stats | 42 receptions | 552 receiving yards | 3 receiving touchdowns
