Mason Rudolph Plans To Go To JuJu Smith-Schuster More
5 years agoPittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph apologized to wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster for not going to him more in the Week 4 win over the Bengals. Smith-Schuster finished with only three catches for 15 yards, the fewest receiving yards that he's had in a game since he went without a catch in his NFL debut in 2017. Second-year receiver James Washington also had no catches on only one target. Washington, who played with Rudolph at Oklahoma State, has caught three passes for 25 yards since Rudolph took over in Week 2. Offensive coordinator Randy Fitchtner blames Smith-Schuster's toe injury on his disappearing act last Monday. He's expected to play in Week 5 against the Ravens, and Rudolph plans to get Smith-Schuster more involved. “Got to get the ball to your best players, and that’s something you look forward to every week in the game plan, so it’s just an emphasis on my end,” Rudolph said. Baltimore has the league's 30th-ranked passing defense after four games, so the Steelers may let Rudolph attack them deep down the field. However, Smith-Schuster may be at less than 100 percent with his toe injury and will be shadowed by cornerback Marlon Humphrey. Consider JuJu more of a WR2 moving forward.
Source: Pittsburgh Tribune-Live - Joe Rutter
Source: Pittsburgh Tribune-Live - Joe Rutter