Young WRs providing production
Departure of Brown might not be missed
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has maintained it will take a committee of targets to help replace the production loss of Antonio Brown, who has more catches since 2013 than any player in any six- year period in NFL history.
Roethlisberger already knows he has one receiver with big- time production — JuJu Smith- Schuster, who actually eclipsed Brown’s receiving numbers in 2018. But, if the past two preseason games are any indication, he might have two more receivers he can depend on to be part of the committee.
James Washington has shown in victories against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs he can be a big- play receiver catching any type of throw, whether deep over the middle, a toe- tapper on the sideline, a leaping two- hander or a back- shoulder touchdown. He is averaging 20.3 yards per catch on his eight receptions in the preseason and appears ready to make a big jump in his second season.
And now there’s rookie Diontae Johnson, who showed in his Steelers debut Saturday night at Heinz Field he can be as good as advertised.
“When he’s been in there at practice, we identified him as a guy who can really run any route and get open,” quarterback Josh Dobbs said. “We were expecting that. For him to go out in his first opportunity in a stadium, to do it and deliver, is definitely a good thing to see.”
It was for the Steelers because they hadn’t seen much of Johnson since the spring. The third- round draft choice from Toledo was limited in OTAs by a hamstring injury and in training camp by nagging hip and groin injuries. But, in his first game in a Steelers uniform against the Kansas City Chiefs, he caught three passes for 46 yards, including a 24- yard touchdown, and had what appeared to be another 24yard touchdown catch negated by a debatable offensive pass interference call against him.
Granted, it’s only the preseason and defenses will start to game plan once the regular season begins. But, like Devin Bush in his debut, Johnson showed in his opening performance he can be a good addition for the offense. He runs solid routes and catches the ball with ease, and will be a nice extra target for Roethlisberger when he makes his expected preseason debut Sunday night in Nashville, Tenn.
“The catches he makes, you anticipate,” Dobbs said. “Throw him the ball and he’s able to snap his head around make catches. He can hold the ball in the air, make contested catches with big strong hands. He has a big catchradius for his size. I think he’s going to be a really good player.”
QB competition
Do not be quick to anoint Mason Rudolph as the new No. 2 quarterback after two solid preseason outings. coach Mike Tomlin isn’t.
Asked if Rudolph has separated himself from Dobbs in the battle for the top backup spot to Ben Roethlisberger, Tomlin tersely replied, “Not as we sit here right now.”
In two preseason games, Rudolph has completed 15 of 23 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns with a passer rating of 115.9. He also orchestrated a masterful 89- yard scoring drive against the Chiefs in which he was 5 for 5 for 60 yards that ate more than eight minutes off the clock.
But Dobbs has played well, too, despite an interception at the end zone against the Chiefs. He has hooked up twice with deep balls to Washington on his first throw of the game against Tampa Bay and the Chiefs and threw a laser to Eli Rogers for a 26- yard gain one play before his pass was intercepted at the goal line. In two games, Dobbs is 11 of 19 for 180 yards with no touchdown, one interception and a passer rating of 67.9.
“We weren’t as sharp, but we kind of finished well,” Rudolph said of his performance against the Chiefs. “I was pleased.
“Year two, I can’t say it’s a breeze, but it’s night and day with a comfortability level. I’ve felt it in practice and games the whole way around. We’re already two games in so it’s kind of flown by. I’m looking forward to getting more into the in- season schedule now with this next game.”
If all goes according to schedule, Roethlisberger will start Sunday night in Nashville against the Tennessee Titans and play into the second quarter. But how Tomlin uses his two top backups in the second half and who starts the preseason finale in Carolina will give a better indication of the pecking order behind their two- time Super Bowl- winning quarterback.
Linebacker worries
In their first game together of the preseason, Tomlin said outside linebackers T. J. Watt and Bud Dupree “have the makings of awesome tandem” after the pressure they provided and disruptive plays they made against the Chiefs.
Dupree, who is playing for a new contract, whether with the Steelers or in free agency, got started on the right path with two sacks, three quarterback hurries and a pass defensed. Watt did not have a sack, but he had two hurries, a pass defensed and routinely tortured right tackle Mitchell Schwartz and his replacement, Dino Boyd.
“I thought they brought great energy,” Tomlin said. “I thought they were productive. It was a good representation of them I thought.
That, though, is the good news. The bad news is the injuries that have hit the position, including the top backups, Anthony Chickillo and Ola Adeniyi.
Tomlin said Chickillo had “a chest injury of some description” against the Chiefs, though he noted he didn’t believe the injury to be serious.
Adeniyi, though, is different. He had arthroscopic surgery Friday to repair a torn meniscus that happened at some undetermined point last week and will miss at least the remainder of the preseason and possibly the beginning of the regular season.
What’s more, sixthround pick Sutton Smith has yet to play in the preseason because of an abdominal injury.
The Steelers wanted to see if Adeniyi could be a future replacement for Dupree, should he leave after the season in free agency. But, if Dupree can continue to build on what he did against the Chiefs, that might not matter.