Steelers All 90: WR James Washington
All 90 is a Pittsburgh Steelers Now series profiling each of the 90 members of the Steelers 2021 offseason roster.
13 • James Washington, fourth-year wide receiver
5-foot-11, 213 pounds
Acquired: Selected by the Steelers with the No. 60 overall pick in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Last season: Washington saw his role reduced with the offense also featuring Chase Claypool, but was still extremely productive. He caught 53.6% of his 56 targets, hauling in 30 passes for 392 yards.
Career: Washington has been a solid contributor over three years for the Steelers, but his most productive season was in 2019, when Ben Roethlisberger was sidelined and Mason Rudolph took over.
Paired with his college quarterback, Washington led the Steelers with 735 yards on 44 catches while hauling in a career-high 55% of his targets and averaging 9.2 yards per target, also a career best.
College: Rudolph and Washington set the record books on fire at Oklahoma State.
In four seasons, Washington caught 226 passes for 4,472 yards and 40 total touchdowns. He is the Cowboys’ career receiving yards leader, and also holds school records in yards per catch for a single game, season and career.
Camp outlook: Washington will once again be the Steelers’ No. 4 wide receiver, a situation that led to him reportedly requesting a trade.
But Diontae Johnson’s trouble with drops and Chase Claypool slowing down over the course of his rookie season should give plenty of opportunities for Washington, who will likely be the most-used skill position player on the Steelers after the five starter.
Future: Washington will be an unrestricted free agent for the first time after the 2021 season.
The rest of the 90:
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