James Washington was a training camp sensation. He’d regularly make spectacular catches on the practice fields at Saint Vincent College, wowing fans who showed up to get a glimpse of the next great Steelers receiver.
The Steelers were hoping Washington, whom they selected in the second round of the draft in the spring, would quickly develop into their No. 3 receiver, but the former Oklahoma State star is still learning what it takes to be successful in the NFL.
“It’s a process for him,” receivers coach Darryl Drake said this week. “He’s coming, and we have to push him along faster and get him more involved. When those opportunities come for him, he has to be ready to deliver. Those opportunities will come. We’ll keep pressing the envelope and keep pushing forward.”
Washington has seen his playing time decrease as the season has progressed. He played 66 snaps against the Chiefs in Week 2, but his playing time has declined almost every week since. He played 40 against the Buccaneers, 47 against the Ravens, 35 against the Falcons and then just 16 against the Bengals.
For the season, Washington has five receptions for 49 yards and a touchdown. He hasn’t been targeted in the past two games and has been targeted just 14 times in the first six games, an unusually low number for a No. 3 receiver.
The Steelers, it can be argued, don’t really have a No. 3 receiver at the moment. They’ve gone to heavy tight ends sets the past two games, and they even used fullback Roosevelt Nix split out as a receiver rather than bring Washington or another receiver into the game in Cincinnati.
Washington has played half of the Steelers’ offensive snaps, 215 overall, and yet he hasn’t been nearly as productive as Ryan Switzer (13 catches for 67 yards and a touchdown) in 100 fewer snaps, or even Darrius Heyward-Bey (two catches for 47 yards) in 200 fewer snaps.
Washington admitted this week the game has yet to slow down for him.
“Just being a rookie, you get out there, you’re thinking a lot,” Washington said. “There’s a lot going through your mind. You’re trying to be perfect, but you’re not yet. You still have a lot to learn. Just working with the older guys and getting their advice that helps me get through this time.”
Clearly, the light hasn’t gone on yet for Washington, but struggles for rookie receivers are common. JuJu Smith-Schuster had an uncommon rookie year last fall when he led all rookies in receiving yards with 917 and had seven touchdowns.
But even Smith-Schuster didn’t light the league on fire right away. He did not have his first 100-yard game until Week 8. Smith-Schuster had 15 receptions in his first six games last season. The bulk of his production came in the second half of the season.
The light goes on sooner for some players than others, and there is no substitute for practice time and game experience.
“There is no doubt about it,” Drake said. “In the pro game we ask them to do so much. They really have to understand the coverages. They have to understand what the safeties are doing. They have to understand the concepts of what we’re asking them to do. And they have to be able to make that decision in less than a second.
“The thing we all try to do is not think. We want them to react. The game is a reaction game. You have to react the right way. As time goes on, they get more comfortable and get more of an understanding of what’s happening to him. These defenses are on scholarship, too. Those defensive coordinators are disguising coverages to make you think. As guys get more experience, they don’t have to think, they just react.”
Washington, who amassed 4,472 yards and 39 touchdowns during his college career, is trying to be patient.
“It just takes time,” he said. “It’s not going to happen overnight. You just have to keep coming to practice and try to get better and just take coaching. It’s hard at times, but you have to be available.”
Ray Fittipaldo: rfittipaldo@post-gazette.com and Twitter @rayfitt1.
First Published: October 18, 2018, 7:19 p.m.
