Former Steelers Wide Receiver Attempts NFL Comeback

Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver James Washington is attempting an NFL comeback after playing just two games since 2021.

Pittsburgh Steelers WR James Washington
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver James Washington runs out of the tunnel for a game against the Cleveland Browns on Dec. 1, 2019. -- Ed Thompson / Steelers Now

Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver James Washington is attempting an NFL comeback, according to a https://twitter.com/JFowlerESPN/status/1803585930273403203″>report

by Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.

Washington, 28, hasn’t appeared in the NFL since playing two games for the Dallas Cowboys in the 2022 season. He suffered a foot fracture during training camp in 2022 and then came back for two games late in that season before he was released.

Steelers WR James Washington

In 2023, Washington was releasedspent time with the New York Giants, New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts, but did not appear in a game. He was released by Saints after playing in one preseason game, catching one pass for 42 yards, and then appeared in one more with the Colts, before being released.

Washington did not sign with another team and spent all of the 2023 regular season out of football. According to Fowler, Washington has received “multiple inquiries” from teams seeking to try out the veteran receiver.

A 5-foot-11, 216-pound native of Stamford, Texas, the Steelers drafted Washington in out of Oklahoma State in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He spent four seasons in Pittsburgh, racking up 1,629 yards and 11 touchdowns.

His best season came in 2019, when he developed a rapport with fellow former Oklahoma State Cowboy, quarterback Mason Rudolph, and caught 80 passes for 735 yards and three touchdowns.

RELATED: James Washington Says He Wasn’t Utilized Properly with Steelers

Washington left Pittsburgh after his rookie contract in 2022, signing as a free agent with Dallas, but has played just two games since.

With a need at the wide receiver position, the Steelers might be one of the teams interested in working out Washington, though they have other veteran options such as Van Jefferson, Scotty Miller and Quez Watkins, who have been more productive more recently than Washington.

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