James Washington Putting Rookie Year Behind Him

Pittsburgh Steelers second year wide receiver James Washington means business in 2019.

James Washington played his rookie year with the Steelers, but failed to make a lasting impact. He started six games last season, playing behind Brown, Smith-Schuster and Switzer. 

James Washington caught 16 of 38 balls for 217 yards and a touchdown. Additionally, his catch percentage of 42.1% was the lowest amongst Steelers skill players with at least 14 targets. 

It was a poor year which caused his quarterback to criticise him on local radio. After feeling the burnout, Washington is determined to come back more confident in the new season.

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“I am just trying to come in more confident,” Washington said.

“It wasn’t that I played without confidence last year, but I wanted to come in with that sense of urgency that I felt like I lacked a little last year.”

One teammate who has noticed is Juju Smith-Schuster, who has named him as one of 2019’s surprise packages. 

“But you talk about a young dude who’s up and coming, it’s going to be James Washington,” Smith Schuster told ESPN. 

“A guy from Oklahoma State, came to the Steelers his rookie year, started off slow but figured it out and got the ropes down.

“This past summer workouts that we had, he’s been doing amazing, a great job. I’m super excited to see how he does this year. He’s our guy that’s going to sneak up on everybody.”

Read: Steelers Need Team Effort to Reclaim AFC North

Last year, Washington only played 526 (47.1%) snaps. He is preparing for a bigger workload this year. As he outlined to the Athletic, he has dropped 5 pounds to 210 during his summer workouts. 

Washington will certainly give his teammates something to think about in the locker room this year. With Smith-Schuster’s backing, he has a good chance.