Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster is clearly excited to be catching passes from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger again.
Smith-Schuster tallied 111 receptions for 1,426 yards (89.1 yards per game) in his second season in the Steelers high-octane 2018 offense. But his numbers dropped in 2019 as a consequence of Roethlisberger's season-ending elbow injury he suffered in Week 2. The USC alum posted just 3 touchdowns in 12 games in 2019, averaging a career-low 46.0 yards per game.
During an appearance on the “Pardon My Take” podcast on Wednesday, Smith-Schuster shared a positive update on Roethlisberger's status. He indicated that the two Steelers have found time to practice together despite the Covid-19 pandemic limiting off-season activity.
Article Continues Below“Working him this offseason, he's pretty much back to 100 percent. He lost some weight, and probably better for him and better for our team. I'm super excited what he's going to bring to the table.”
Roethlisberger, 38, also said he's back to full strength after undergoing off-season surgery.
“I have no doubts I'm going to be able to come back and play well—none,” he told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I'm throwing without pain for the first time in years … I know I'm not getting any younger, but I feel younger because I don’t have any pain.”
JuJu Smith-Schuster was knocked out of a Week 11 contest last season against the Cleveland Browns and suffered a knee injury in the same game. The depleted Pittsburgh squad limped to a 8-8 record. There's little doubt that Smith-Schuster and his teammates will looking to have a major bounce-back season with their two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback back under center.
Pittsburgh opens its season on Sept. 14 in a matchup with the New York Giants.