James Washington sheds weight, puts rookie season behind him in Year 2 with Steelers

[polamalubeast]

The memory of a subpar rookie season wasn’t the only thing that now won’t be weighing James Washington down in Year 2 with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Fifteen lost pounds also aren’t being carried in 2019, a slimmer and trimmer Washington said Thursday after an organized team activity session at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.

“Just more speed,” the wide receiver said for his reasoning in dropping from 225 to 210 over the past four months. “I feel like I am quicker off the ball and I am just able to run through everybody now.”

A second-round pick just 13 months ago, Washington might be considered the incumbent in the competition for the Steelers’ new No. 2 wideout in 2019. But is he the favorite?

The Steelers signed veteran Dante Moncrief to a two-year, $9 million contract and drafted Diontae Johnson high in the third round.

“You can’t really focus on things that someone else does; you’ve got to continue trying to be the best you,” Washington said of the Steelers bringing in new receivers. “And that’s the thought I had in the back of my mind the whole time.”

“It brings out the best of all of us,” he added. “But at the end of the day, we are still (friends), still a team. So, it’s like iron sharpens iron.”

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https://triblive.com/sports/james-wa...with-steelers/

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[86WARD]

Man I hope he steps up!

[steelreserve]

I don't think speed is the issue. It rarely is. Some guys can get open and some can't. THAT is what needs to change if he wants to follow in JuJu's footsteps, and not Markus Wheaton's.

[hawaiiansteeler]

I don't think speed is the issue. It rarely is. Some guys can get open and some can't. THAT is what needs to change if he wants to follow in JuJu's footsteps, and not Markus Wheaton's.

Jerry Rice ran a 4.71 forty...

[Fire Goodell]

I don't think speed is the issue. It rarely is. Some guys can get open and some can't. THAT is what needs to change if he wants to follow in JuJu's footsteps, and not Markus Wheaton's.

Wheaton actually wasn't doing bad until his finger got mangled

[DesertSteel]

He's hungry!!!

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

Good sign. He was faster than quick in college, so being leaner and quicker may allow him to run the bottom of the route tree better, as well as get to top end speed quicker. I love the fact he is working like a pro in the offseason.

[86WARD]

Wheaton actually wasn't doing bad until his finger got mangled

That was Sammie Coates.

[Fire Goodell]

That was Sammie Coates.

Both of them had finger injuries that made their careers turn south

[Butch]

I don't think speed is the issue. It rarely is. Some guys can get open and some can't. THAT is what needs to change if he wants to follow in JuJu's footsteps, and not Markus Wheaton's.

I don't even think it was about getting open so much as it was about him doubting himself or over thinking what he was doing. He needs to find a way to over come that. If he does he will go far but if he doesn't then he will be another good guy who just couldn't make it in the NFL. I say this with caution but I see a lot of upside with James hope he proves me right.

[polamalubeast]

Both of them had finger injuries that made their careers turn south

At least Wheaton has been good or average for 2 years(2014 and 2015)...Coates has been good for only 5 games!

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

That was Sammie Coates.

I thought Wheaton as well, had a broken finger that he played thru, rather than get surgery during the season which never really healed correctly. Wheaton broke a finger while in Chicago as Bear. Coates, was no surprise to me, as I said he was gonna drop a lot of footballs, because he wasn't a natural catcher.

Washington has great hands, works hard, has longer buildup speed rather than short area quickness and wasn't a polished route runner inside of 15 yard routes. I think dropping some weight will help quickness and more work will help him run slants, outs, digs. Washington has more tools, skills and attitude than either Wheaton or Coates had when joining the team.

[86WARD]

Both of them had finger injuries that made their careers turn south

Wheaton broke a pinkie in Chicago. Coates was the one that mangled it in Pittsburgh and then couldn’t catch anymore. Started that season out great and then mangled his finger and was done...

[tube517]

I only remember Wheaton's game vs Seattle when he had 200+ yds. Other than that, his career was meh.

[steelreserve]

Wheaton actually wasn't doing bad until his finger got mangled

What do you mean? He was ok as a third receiver when he was last priority in the opponent's game plan. The minute they tried to use him as anything beyond that, he stunk the place out. When Bryant was out at the start of 2015 on another drug suspension, they tried to have Wheaton fill in as the #2 WR, and he was dogshit. Just couldn't do it. He was one of those guys who just could not get open against a decent defender.

Coates was another one who was like that ... snuck in behind some people for a few long circus catches, but the equivalent of a basketball player who can only shoot from half court and can't get open when anyone is actually defending him. I think he had literally 20 career catches or something. Just useless in the day-to-day offense.

[Born2Steel]

You really just want to see guys trying to step up their game and start seeing little improvements at this stage. WRs seldom come in and have everything figured out day1 or even year2. The tools are just part of it. If he’s obviously putting in the work to take that next step that’s all you can really ask of him. As we have found out, the mental prep is a very important part of development too.

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

What do you mean? He was ok as a third receiver when he was last priority in the opponent's game plan. The minute they tried to use him as anything beyond that, he stunk the place out. When Bryant was out at the start of 2015 on another drug suspension, they tried to have Wheaton fill in as the #2 WR, and he was dogshit. Just couldn't do it. He was one of those guys who just could not get open against a decent defender.

Coates was another one who was like that ... snuck in behind some people for a few long circus catches, but the equivalent of a basketball player who can only shoot from half court and can't get open when anyone is actually defending him. I think he had literally 20 career catches or something. Just useless in the day-to-day offense.

Yeah, um sure....dogshit?



I love how we as fans berate NFL WR's that are #3 or #4 options in the offense because they don't have the numbers of the top 2 options.

Its like fans in threads like this hacking on Washington for not doing enough as a rookie, when the top 2 WR's in front of him were pro bowlers. Its like we expect at least 4 players to have close to 1,000 yard seasons or else they are terrible.

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You really just want to see guys trying to step up their game and start seeing little improvements at this stage. WRs seldom come in and have everything figured out day1 or even year2. The tools are just part of it. If he’s obviously putting in the work to take that next step that’s all you can really ask of him. As we have found out, the mental prep is a very important part of development too.

100% agree.

[86WARD]

There was nothing wrong with Wheaton. He was what he was and he probably would’ve been better had he stayed in Pittsburgh. If it were the 90s, he’d be right in line with Ernie Mills and Andre Hastings.

[Fire Goodell]

What do you mean? He was ok as a third receiver when he was last priority in the opponent's game plan. The minute they tried to use him as anything beyond that, he stunk the place out. When Bryant was out at the start of 2015 on another drug suspension, they tried to have Wheaton fill in as the #2 WR, and he was dogshit. Just couldn't do it. He was one of those guys who just could not get open against a decent defender.

Coates was another one who was like that ... snuck in behind some people for a few long circus catches, but the equivalent of a basketball player who can only shoot from half court and can't get open when anyone is actually defending him. I think he had literally 20 career catches or something. Just useless in the day-to-day offense.

As a #3 receiver with 700+ yards and 5TD's that's good production. He started off with better numbers than Manny Sanders. The guy was a slot WR not an outside WR so yeah, if they played him out of position he wasn't that great.

I never said the guy was a pro bowler but he was a decent slot WR for a few years

[DesertSteel]

Between the preseason and the last three games, Washington flashed lots of potential. Now that he’s got a year under his belt and knows what to expect, I can see him having a breakout second year.

[polamalubeast]

Wheaton was inconsistent but he was not a horrible player with us

[steelreserve]

Yeah, um sure....dogshit?



I love how we as fans berate NFL WR's that are #3 or #4 options in the offense because they don't have the numbers of the top 2 options.

Its like fans in threads like this hacking on Washington for not doing enough as a rookie, when the top 2 WR's in front of him were pro bowlers. Its like we expect at least 4 players to have close to 1,000 yard seasons or else they are terrible.

Dogshit is the correct answer. I don't berate him for "not having the numbers" of the #1 and #2 guys, I berate him because he could not get open against competent defenders.

Since a big part of this discussion is who will step up to be "the man" other than Juju, that implies being a legitimate receiving threat in your own right, and Wheaton was never that. He could take advantage of a mismatch, but that was about it - he fell flat when asked to create opportunities on his own. When we tried to have him be the #2 receiver, he got shut down so hard, we might as well have had Dri Archer out there. Like seriously, he would get 30 yards a game or something. Dogshit. If you cannot get open and make some plays on your own, you are not a good receiver.

As a #3 receiver with 700+ yards and 5TD's that's good production. He started off with better numbers than Manny Sanders. The guy was a slot WR not an outside WR so yeah, if they played him out of position he wasn't that great.

I never said the guy was a pro bowler but he was a decent slot WR for a few years

This will be an unpopular opinion, but here goes: Slot receiver is not a speciality that you're good at. It's where you go when you lack one or more tools needed to make it as a regular receiver, so they put you there to try and get a matchup advantage by having you go against what is essentially a backup DB.

Well, that's one type of slot receiver; the other is the young guy on his way up who is temporarily stuck behind two established players. Sanders was that kind of slot receiver. Wheaton, we hoped was that kind of slot receiver, but he was not. He was able to meet the minimum requirements of being a WR when he had significant help, that's all. The slot is not a destination, except in isolated cases it is a waypoint on the road to the kind of WR you really are.

It's important to remember that with Wheaton, we did not draft him to be a slot receiver. We drafted him hoping he could be a big-play threat, stretch the field, etc., which is what a #1 or #2 receiver does. He ended up in the slot because he didn't have what it took to be those things.

That's what we are hoping does not happen with Washington, but he's got a lot to prove if so. WR is kind of like QB in that sense ... QBs either get it or they don't, and WRs can either get open or they can't. A lot of the time that ability is evident as a rookie. Washington gets an incomplete grade, I guess, but that's far from a step in the right direction, it's just a year where nothing happened.

[Steeldude]

Good news. I'm glad he is taking it seriously

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

As a #3 receiver with 700+ yards and 5TD's that's good production. He started off with better numbers than Manny Sanders. The guy was a slot WR not an outside WR so yeah, if they played him out of position he wasn't that great.

I never said the guy was a pro bowler but he was a decent slot WR for a few years

I never looked it up, but was that a 700+ yard season Wheaton had at one point? That is pretty good production. He must have been playing against NFL players that were not any good.

[teegre]

I never looked it up, but was that a 700+ yard season Wheaton had at one point? That is pretty good production. He must have been playing against NFL players that were not any good.

2014: 644
2015: 749

[hawaiiansteeler]

2014: 644
2015: 749

an aberration, the NFL had no decent defenders those two years.

[steelreserve]

I never looked it up, but was that a 700+ yard season Wheaton had at one point? That is pretty good production. He must have been playing against NFL players that were not any good.

A third of that was in one game, wasn't it?

Really, that was the whole point. He put up some alright numbers when lining up against basically the worst defender on the other team. When he was asked to go against the first string, he got shit on.

The guy could not stand on his own. He was not a playmaker. Any doubt about that ought to be removed by what happened when he went to another team. Good WRs get a chance to compete for a bigger role on a new team and they thrive. He basically did the opposite of that.

[teegre]

A third of that was in one game, wasn't it?

Really, that was the whole point. He put up some alright numbers when lining up against basically the worst defender on the other team. When he was asked to go against the first string, he got shit on.

Yes... and, those 200 yards were against the Legion of Boom secondary.

[steelreserve]

Yes... and, those 200 yards were against the Legion of Boom secondary.

Ah ok, well that outweighs the 20 or 30 yards he was good for in any other game. Must mean he's actually a kickass receiver who is tearing it up now, and we never should've let him go.

Or maybe any dingbat gets lucky once in a while.

[teegre]

Ah ok, well that outweighs the 20 or 30 yards he was good for in any other game. Must mean he's actually a kickass receiver who is tearing it up now, and we never should've let him go.

Or maybe any dingbat gets lucky once in a while.

Between “complete dogshit” and “Hall of Famer” there is a spectrum...