Former second-round pick and Biletnikoff winner receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers hoping to make a major comeback following a lengthy layoff due to injury.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a great history of selecting wide receivers overall; in fact, many believe they have been the best NFL team for the past 20 years or more in terms of selecting and developing wideouts.
Even more astonishing is the fact that the Steelers haven’t used a first-round pick on a receiver since they chose Santonio Holmes with the #25 pick almost twenty years ago in 2006. The Ohio State graduate had four great seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, including receiving MVP in Super Bowl XLIII in their victory over the Arizona Cardinals, although not yet becoming a legend in the sport.
More recently, over the last six years, the league’s joint most decorated team (along with the New England Patriots) has hit on Day 2 (NFL draft rounds 2 & 3) receivers Diontae Johnson, George Pickens, and Juju Smith Schuster. Most recently, they used a third-round pick this past draft to select Roman Wilson, a wide receiver from Michigan.
More recently, over the last six years, the league’s joint most decorated team (along with the New England Patriots) has hit on Day 2 (NFL draft rounds 2 & 3) receivers Diontae Johnson, George Pickens, and Juju Smith Schuster. Most recently, they used a third-round pick this past draft to select Roman Wilson, a wide receiver from Michigan.
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.
It appears unlikely that James Washington would seriously consider returning to the team that drafted him at this point, even though they lack depth at the position. Instead, he would probably prefer a team with a clear Washington-shaped hole in their depth chart and a more experienced quarterback in charge over the Russell Wilson/Justin Fields borderline competition that will unavoidably arise during the 2024 Steelers training camp.
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.
