JuJu Smith-Schuster misses old role with Steelers

JuJu Smith-Schuster misses his old role with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Smith-Schuster has been with the Steelers since 2017. He spent his first two seasons with them as an outside receiver. He had his biggest season on the outside in 2018 with 111 catches for 1,426 yards and seven touchdowns. Even though he had a nice statistical year this season, he hasn’t had as many 100-yard games since moving to the slot as he did before.

During NBC’s broadcast of the Steelers’ AFC wild-card game against the Browns on Sunday night, Cris Collinsworth talked about JuJu’s role. Collinsworth pointed out how Schuster’s role has changed and noted that Smith-Schuster admitted to him and Al Michaels that he missed his old role.

“The role has definitely changed. He is now their slot receiver. He does the dirty work. He does the blocking inside. And he’s a free agent. So we talked to him about it, and he said ‘I kind of miss the outside days a little bit.’ But he said ‘If I had my choice, I would sign back here,' ” Collinsworth shared on the broadcast.

The Steelers will have numerous free agents, so they will have a hard time keeping everyone they want. Whether they’re able to retain Smith-Schuster, and whether he opts to return to them, remains to be seen. But that admission about missing his old role is something to keep in mind. Another thing to keep in mind is whether this matter will play a role in the Steelers keeping JuJu.