JuJu Smith-Schuster

Smith-Schuster appeared ticketed for a prominent role after signing with the Patriots in free agency last season. Instead, the receiver turned in the worst season of his career. Smith-Schuster was limited to fewer than 15 yards in seven of 11 games before going on injured reserve in Week 15 with an ankle injury. Even though he's only 27 years old, it's fair to question if the receiver's best days are behind him. The Patriots released him during the preseason, and he signed with Kansas City shortly thereafter.

Smith-Schuster somewhat rehabbed his value with a one-year detour to Kansas City, putting up a 78-833-3 receiving line on 101 targets last year as a distant No. 2 to TE Travis Kelce's No. 1. The Patriots seem to like him for the big-slot role previously occupied by Jakobi Meyers, who departed for Las Vegas shortly before Smith-Schuster inked a three-year, $25.5 million deal with $16 million guaranteed at signing. That includes full guarantees on his base salaries for 2023 and 2024, meaning the 26-year-old likely will be a Patriot for at least two seasons. From a volume standpoint, he's well-positioned to exceed his targets from Kansas City, only without the benefit of QB Patrick Mahomes lifting his efficiency. A return to the production level from his early years in Pittsburgh remains highly unlikely, but it won't come as any surprise if Smith-Schuster catches 80 or 90 balls in a questionable New England offense led by third-year QB Mac Jones.

Joining forces with Patrick Mahomes is one thing; doing so a week before the Chiefs traded their best receiver is another. And while Kansas City also signed Marquez Valdes-Scantling, the former Packer won't match the volume Tyreek Hill saw last season (159 targets). That leaves Smith-Schuster, still only 25, as the likely No. 2 option behind TE Travis Kelce, barring a fourth- year leap from Mecole Hardman or a huge instant impact from second-round pick Skyy Moore. Early success is a familiar subject for Smith-Schuster, who finished his rookie season (2017) with 917 yards before jumping to 1,426 in Year 2. Since then, he's managed only 1,512 yards in three seasons, averaging a mere 45.8 per game and missing 17 contests (five in 2019, 12 in 2021). The good news, besides his relative youth, is that Smith-Schuster's struggles were at least somewhat a product of circumstances. With 4.54 speed, he's never been much of a deep threat, but in his first two seasons there were occasional shots downfield and plenty of intermediate looks, while the last two years saw his aDOT sink to 5.5 (2020) and 6.5 (2021). The Steelers turned him into a pure possession/slot guy, adjusting to poor O-line play and a veteran QB with declining arm strength. Neither of those things is a problem now for Smith- Schuster, who hopes to restore his value with a one-year, incentive-laden contract.

After lighting up the league as a rookie with 11.6 YPT in 2017, Smith-Schuster’s per-play efficiency has declined every year, culminating in a tailback-like 8.6 YPC (last) and 6.5 YPT (33rd) last year. While Smith-Schuster has never been a burner (4.54 40), his meager per-play production last year was mostly due to Ben Roethlisberger’s lack of arm strength and the Steelers using short passes in lieu of a running game — Smith-Schuster’s aDOT was a league-low 0.8, i.e., on average he was catching passes less than a yard from the line of scrimmage. At 6-1, 215, Smith-Schuster is a tough, stoutly-built receiver, and when not standing right on the line of scrimmage, capable of good routes. He also saw a fair amount of red-zone work — 19 targets from inside the 20 and eight from inside the 10, netting him nine TDs. A free agent this offseason, Smith-Schuster re-signed with the Steelers on a one-year, $8 million deal. He’ll face competition from the quicker and more talented (but also drop-prone) Diontae Johnson and physical freak Chase Claypool, but Smith-Schuster himself is still only 24 and should be a prominent part of the offense, no matter what the Steelers do at quarterback.

With Antonio Brown gone, Smith-Schuster was poised for a huge role in Year 3, but just about everything went wrong. First, his quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, made it through only a game and a half before an elbow injury knocked him out for the year. The combination of Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges was below average even for backups, and Smith-Schuster suffered a knee injury in Week 11 that cost him four and a half games. As a result, it's hard to make much of his 2019 numbers. Smith-Schuster still managed 13.1 YPC and 8.0 YPT and had two catches of 40-plus yards on only 69 targets, so there's nothing alarming there, even under terrible circumstances. At 6-1, 215, Smith-Schuster is stout for a wideout, and while his timed speed at the combine was nothing special (4.54 40) he's made big plays ever since he got into the league (13 catches of 40-plus yards in two and a half full seasons). Roethlisberger is set to return, claiming he's throwing without pain for the first time in years, but Smith-Schuster has a little more competition for targets than he did a year ago - last year's third-round pick Diontae Johnson showed promise, third-year man James Washington also came on in the season's second half and the team drafted WR Chase Claypool in the second round. That said, Smith-Schuster, still only 23, is easily the most accomplished receiver on the squad and the only one with whom Roethlisberger has a rapport. Smith-Schuster's price in 2020 could be the cheapest it'll be for the next five years.

The age-old fantasy question for wide receivers is whether you'd rather have the only game in town that attracts most of the defense's attention, or someone with a quality complement who cuts into his workload but also pulls away defenders. With Antonio Brown gone, Smith-Schuster's 2019 will provide a case study, as he is now the unquestioned No. 1 for Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers. Smith-Schuster has been a star since entering the league in 2017, with a whopping 11.6 YPT on 79 looks as a rookie and a 166-111-1,426-7 line as a sophomore last year. While he couldn't match his 2017 efficiency, he finished with a respectable 8.6 YPT, almost a full yard better than Brown's. At 6-1, 215, Smith-Schuster is built like Hines Ward - far more stout than the quicker, thinner Brown. And while, like Brown, Smith-Schuster showed pedestrian speed at the combine - 4.54 40 - he's made big plays throughout his young career with 11 catches of 40-plus yards on 245 targets. The Steelers signed Donte Moncrief this offseason, and second-year man James Washington should have an increased role, but it's unlikely the two will replace Brown's 168 overall targets or his 24 looks in the red zone. Yes, defenses will key on Smith-Schuster as the team's top weapon in the passing game, but volume is almost always king, and we can probably view last year's 166 targets (4th) as his healthy floor.

Smith-Schuster is a rising star. The only problem is he's playing opposite the league's best - and most targeted (on a per-game basis) - receiver, Antonio Brown. Still, it's hard to overstate Smith-Schuster's impact. He hauled in a whopping 59 of his 78 targets (73.4 percent) and averaged 11.6 YPT (1st among the league's 52 75-target receivers). He also had six catches of 40-plus yards (T-4th), ahead of everyone except Tyreek Hill, Brown and Brandin Cooks. And Smith-Schuster didn't turn 21 until November. At 6-1, 215, Smith-Schuster is stout and powerful in the Hines Ward mold, and he generated big plays despite below average timed speed - 4.54 40 at the combine. He's a fluid route runner, has excellent hands and has earned the trust of his quarterback to occupy the No. 2 role, so much so that the team dealt the massively talented but mercurial Martavis Bryant to Oakland on draft day. Smith-Schuster saw 15 red-zone looks (six of which were from inside the 10), and that number should increase in Year 2 as he gains market share in the offense, given his toughness and ability to make catches in traffic. The Steelers offense will likely revolve primarily around Brown and star tailback Le'Veon Bell, but there are worse things to be than the clear No. 3 option in a top offense with a narrow tree. And should Brown get hurt, the sky's the limit.

Selected in the second round at 62nd overall in this year's draft, Smith-Schuster was a three-year starter at USC, averaging over 70 receptions and 1,000 yards per season. Despite not possessing elite measurables, the former Trojan certainly passes the eye test as a fluid athlete and savvy route-runner. He enters the fold initially as the Steelers' No. 4 option at receiver behind Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant and Eli Rogers but could push for immediate playing time with a strong preseason showing.