JuJu Smith-Schuster OK shifting to more of possession receiver for Steelers

Chris Adamski
Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020 3:03 p.m. | Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2020 3:03 p.m.

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster makes a catch as Denver Broncos strong safety Kareem Jackson defends during a Steelers victory last month. Smith-Schuster is scoring touchdowns and displaying sure hands, and the Steelers are winning. But he is not being asked to run as many deep routes as in the past.

He broke the Pittsburgh Steelers’ record for longest touchdown reception. Then, he broke it again before his 22nd birthday.

So, it might be odd to affix a label to JuJu Smith-Schuster as … possession receiver?

Yet, to this point of the 2020 season, the Steelers appear to be using Smith-Schuster in that role.

According to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, of the 155 NFL pass-catchers who have been targeted with at least 13 passes so far this season, Smith-Schuster ranks 149th in targeted air yards. Passes to Smith-Schuster come when he is an average of 5.3 yards beyond the line of scrimmage. Only three wide receivers in the NFL have a lower averaged “targeted air yards” (TAY).

“All that doesn’t matter to me,” Smith-Schuster said during a video conference call with media Wednesday. “Playing inside or outside, whatever the Steelers want to play me at, and really need help at, just making plays when plays need to be made in crucial times like third down, fourth down, two-point conversion, blocking, inside, if it fits what they are looking for then I am just here to do my job.”

To put Smith-Schuster’s 5.3 TAY into perspective, here are the totals for the Steelers’ other qualifying pass-catchers: Eric Ebron 10.5, James Washington 10.1, Diontae Johnson 9.3.

Smith-Schuster’s TAY is also down considerably from earlier in his career. He was at 9.5 as a rookie, 8.7 in 2018 and 9.6 last season. That has led, as expected, to a decreased yards per reception so far in 2020. Smith-Schuster entered the season with a 13.7 career average in yards per catch; this season it’s at 9.4.

“He came in ready to play, and he performed well,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said of JuJu Smith-Schuster's recent performance. “But we have seen that from him most of the time that he has been here.”https://t.co/H1plwDH9Zt

— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) September 19, 2020

The simplest explanation for the shift in numbers? Smith-Schuster has lined up in the slot more often this season (74%) than in his previous seasons (58% of his WR snaps), according to Pro Football Focus.

“I don’t have a preference whether it’s outside or inside,” Smith-Schuster said. “As long as we are winning, right?”

The Steelers are 3-0. And Smith-Schuster has a team-high three touchdowns (only six players in the NFL are averaging more per game). He also has caught 89% of passes thrown his way (17 of 19) and leads the Steelers in yards after catch (6.3, according to Next Gen Stats).

All in all, a good season, even if he isn’t being asked to run deep routes. During the Steelers’ most recent games, Smith-Schuster was targeted for a pass more than 10 yards downfield only once during each. He has had no passes thrown his way all season that traveled more than 15 yards past the line of scrimmage.

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Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.