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JuJu Smith-Schuster headlines the Pittsburgh Steelers’ broad receiver corps heading into the 2020 season.
NFL.com contributing columnist Adam Schein predicts that Pittsburgh Steelers broad receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster “will dominate as soon as once more,” very similar to he did in 2018 when he caught 111 passes for 1,426 yards and 7 touchdowns.
“Smith-Schuster was dreadful final season,” begins Schein, “totaling simply 552 yards and three touchdowns,” earlier than happening to notice that “JuJu fizzled within the highlight of changing Antonio Brown because the Steelers’ WR1.”
However Schein stays “enamored” with Smith-Schuster’s “superb expertise and work ethic,” and reminds us that JuJu remains to be simply 23 years previous. He additionally components in Ben Roethlisberger’s return from elbow surgical procedure, and the truth that Smith-Schuster is in a contract yr.
Surprisingly, Schein doesn’t sound optimistic about Roethlisberger remaining wholesome for 16 video games, nor does he assume a lot of the Steelers’ second- and third-string quarterbacks, Mason Rudolph and Devlin ‘Duck’ Hodges.
Nonetheless, “there isn’t any denying the chemistry the first-ballot Corridor of Famer has with JuJu,” Schein mentioned.
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Chris Simms: Steelers’ Protection is Tremendous Bowl Caliber
In the meantime, one other NFL insider, Chris Simms, lately opined in regards to the Steelers’ outlook for 2020, calling the staff’s protection a “Tremendous Bowl caliber” unit.
“Now they misplaced Javon Hargrave in free company, that’s actually the large loss, proper?” Simms mentioned. “Apart from that you just have a look at the staff and go, man, all people else is just about again.”
Not solely that, defensive finish Stephon Tuitt returns from harm. Simms says Tuitt “is likely to be essentially the most proficient defensive lineman on their staff, and that’s saying quite a bit, as a result of we all know they’ve Cam Heyward.”
Additionally, this shall be security Minkah Fitzpatrick’s first full season with the membership, having been acquired in a mid-season commerce with the Miami Dolphins final September. Then there’s inside linebacker Devin Bush, one among two Steelers that Professional Soccer Focus lately recognized as ‘breakout’ candidates for 2020. By no means thoughts the presence of T.J. Watt and Bud Dupree on both edge, each of whom registered double-digit sack totals in 2019.
“This can be a actually good protection. This can be a protection that may win video games virtually by itself,” Simms concluded.
One other Watt Anticipated in Pittsburgh by 2021
In different information, Steelers fullback Derek Watt took to Twitter on Sunday to say that he and his spouse predict their second youngster in December 2020, writing “Logan Can’t Wait To Be A Massive Brother!”
New Addition To The Household Coming December 2020! Logan Can’t Wait To Be A Massive Brother! pic.twitter.com/jlZluIZaQQ
— Derek Watt (@DerekWatt34) Could 31, 2020
It was just a bit greater than two months in the past that Derek Watt joined his brother T.J. in Pittsburgh, signing a three-year contract in free company.
Then on April 28 the staff introduced that it was selecting up the fifth-year possibility on his brother’s contract.
We’ve exercised LB T.J. Watt’s fifth-year possibility from his rookie [email protected] TRANSACTION: https://t.co/64OEsaDDFG pic.twitter.com/Ribgmq4MMc
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) April 28, 2020
T.J. Watt is coming off a season during which he was named First-Workforce All-Professional by the Related Press and the Steelers’ Most Beneficial Participant by his teammates. He was additionally a finalist for NFL Defensive Participant of the Yr, turning into the primary NFL participant since 2008 to have no less than 14 sacks, 14 tackles for loss, 36 quarterback hits, eight compelled fumbles and 4 fumble recoveries in a season, this along with his two interceptions.
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