Other Steelers wide receivers have reached the 1,000-yard plateau in their seconds seasons.
But none of them have done it at such a young age, or with quite the flourish that JuJu Smith-Schuster did.
Smith-Schuster hit the milestone in Sunday’s loss to the Broncos, the same day he put a 97-yard touchdown on the board that tied a franchise record for longest pass play in franchise history
“One of my top goals,” he said, via Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “Obviously, every receiver has yards, catches, pretty much touchdowns, and I reached that goal. But I’m never satisfied.”
He’s actually the fourth Steelers wideout to hit 1,000 yards since 2000, joining Plaxico Burress, Mike Wallace, and Antonio Brown. But having just turned 22 on Thanksgiving, he’s the youngest to achieve the feat.
“He’s reliable, dependable and trustworthy,” quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. “I know he is going to be in the right spot.”
He had 68 catches for 917 yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie, and now has 77 catches for 1,055 yards and four scores this year. It’s a rapid ascent, and he’s given the Steelers a reliable option opposite Brown in a season without Le’Veon Bell. And the best news for the Steelers, he’s a year away from a pay raise, as keeping multiple expensive targets at a time has been a problem for them in the past.
