Pittsburgh Steelers rookie receiver Juju Smith-Schuster had a coming-out party last Sunday when he seemingly got possessed by teammate Antonio Brown and recorded a dizzying total of 193 receiving yards to go with a touchdown on seven catches in a 20-15 victory over the Detroit Lions.

A bulk of his yardage came from a spectacular 97-yard touchdown grab in the third quarter that proved to be the longest in Steelers history. It also left Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in awe of the rookie’s speed with Smith-Schuster making two Detroit defenders eat his dust on his way to the end zone, via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.

 “I told him, I said, ‘Listen, next time you get that look, if it's a 22-type man, beat 'em with speed. Just get down there.' And that's what he did. And I threw it over the top, and I told him, I didn't know he had that much speed. He said he didn't either.”

Smith-Schuster’s performance against the Lions might have also buried Martavis Bryant deeper in Mike Tomlin’s doghouse. Bryant was benched by Tomlin for making noise on social media by implying he wanted to get traded.

Article Continues Below
More NFL News
Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts (8) is tackled by Las Vegas Raiders safety Thomas Harper (34) during the fourth quarter at Allegiant Stadium.
NFL rumors: Eagles named ‘interesting’ trade destination for Kyle PittsDouglas Fritz ·
image thumbnail
1 obvious Packers trade candidate entering 2025 training campDouglas Fritz ·
Featured image Packers Matthew Golden
Packers rumors: Matthew Golden OTA work prompts Doubs, Watson trade talkDylan Fine ·
The Rams have one obvious trade candidate before the 2025 season.
1 obvious Los Angeles Rams trade candidate entering 2025 training campLorenzo J Reyna ·
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams (18) during the game against the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field.
Caleb Williams unique gift explained by Bears Super Bowl QBZachary Draves ·
New England Patriots defensive end Wilfried Pene (61) walks to the practice fields at Gillette Stadium.
Patriots cut rookie defensive tackleJosh Davis ·

For now, Smith-Schuster is being viewed as the team’s No. 2 receiver behind Brown, but he’ll have to show more if he truly wants to solidify his role on the team.

With the trade deadline quickly approaching late today, and with the Steelers now having a deep receiving group, it will be interesting to see if Pittsburgh decides to make any moves.