The Pittsburgh Steelers have generally had great success selecting wide receivers; in fact, many believe they have been the top NFL team in selecting and developing wide receivers for the last 20 years or more.
What’s more amazing is that the Steelers, who selected Santonio Holmes with the #25 choice almost twenty years ago, haven’t used a first-round draft pick on a receiver since. The Ohio State product, Holmes, did not exactly go down in history, but he did have four great seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, including receiving MVP in Super Bowl XLIII in their victory over the Arizona Cardinals.
Over the last six years, the league’s joint most decorated team (with the New England Patriots) has selected receivers Diontae Johnson, George Pickens, and Juju Smith-Schuster on Day 2 of the NFL Draft (rounds two and three). They also recently selected Michigan wide receiver Roman Wilson with their third-round pick in the most recent draft.
Former Oklahoma State standout James Washington is one name that is frequently left out of discussions about the Pittsburgh Steelers. Overtaking Pro Bowler Juju Smith Schuster, who was then coming off of his greatest season in 2018, when he recorded 1,426 receiving yards, in receiving yards, Washington had an outstanding second season in 2019 and led the Steelers.
Despite not reaching the next level in his next two years, in part because of the rise of Diontae Johnson, who is currently a Carolina Panther, Washington was signed by the Dallas Cowboys to a one-year contract; however, before the season could begin, he tragically suffered a fracture to his right foot and an injury to his left foot.
Since then, Washington has failed to secure a spot on an NFL in-season squad, leading many to believe that his career was finished and that retirement was now merely a formality. However, it appears that this might not be the case, as reported by Jeremy Fowler, who suggests that Washington might see a renaissance of sorts in 2024.
Despite failing to play in a single game in 2023, the former Steeler appears to be a sought-after player in league circles amid this last round of need-specific free agency before training camp starts in mid-July.
The Atlanta Falcons are a team that is eager to compete, with an experienced Pro Bowl player in Kirk Cousins (though it’s possible that we’ll see rookie Michael Penix Jr. sooner rather than later). The team also has no obvious starters behind Drake London, the number one receiver, with former Chicago Bear Darnell Mooney and Arizona Cardinal Rondale Moore making an unimpressive #2 and #3 tandem. Hopefully, Washington can recover and find a team that will enable him to resume his career and produce some of the amazing plays—like the one below—that used to make him one of the NFL’s most promising offensive players five years ago.
