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The 2019 NFL campaign was not kind to Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster.
He was limited to just 12 games due to a concussion and a knee injury that knocked him out for four straight contests between Weeks 12 and 15, and in the time he was on the field, his production was lackluster, as he logged just 42 catches for 552 yards and three touchdowns.
However, Smith-Schuster's down year was hardly all his fault.
Again, the injuries played a role, and the Steelers also had a whole lot of instability at quarterback, as Ben Roethlisberger went down with a season-ending elbow injury in Week 2 and neither Mason Rudolph nor Devlin Hodges could consistently hold down the fort under center in Roethlisberger's absence.
When asked about Smith-Schuster, head coach Mike Tomlin made note of the extenuating circumstances surrounding his wide out's rather disappointing season:
Article Continues Below“I liked the way he grew as a leader,” Tomlin said on Tuesday, according to Steelers beat writer Dale Lolley. “In terms of production, a lot of those are defined by variables outside your control.”
Tomlin hit the nail on the head.
It will be interesting to see how Smith-Schuster responds next season in a Pittsburgh offense that will hopefully be healthier and more organized, two things it certainly was not in 2019.
Smith-Schuster was originally selected by the Steelers in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft and had a terrific rookie campaign, catching 58 passes for 917 yards and seven scores.
He then broke out in 2018, hauling in 111 receptions for 1,426 yards and seven touchdowns en route to a Pro Bowl appearance.
