The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t gotten good enough production out of their wide receivers this season. Besides George Pickens, those players have struggled to make a serious impact. That changed slightly in Week 7 against the New York Jets. With Russell Wilson throwing the ball, more pass catchers got involved. Pickens still led the way, but Van Jefferson did score a timely touchdown. Arthur Smith seems happy that Jefferson was able to experience that moment.
“Those are things you try to reward guys,” Smith said Thursday via the team’s transcripts. “You ask them to do the hard jobs. That’s why it was cool to see [Jefferson] score late. One thing I wish he had done, he should have handed the ball to Shawn, his dad. That would have been fitting. He’s a lot nicer than me. That’s cool to see [Jefferson] catch that touchdown there, to be rewarded because of all the work he’s done.”
Going into his first year with the Steelers, Jefferson was billed as their No. 2 receiver. While Pickens was expected to be the main guy catching balls, there was an expectation that Jefferson would serve as a complementary piece to him. That has not been the case.
Through seven games, Jefferson has only 10 catches for 77 yards and one touchdown. That’s part of the reason why the Steelers are always involved in trade rumors surrounding receivers. They know they need to be better there. It’s not all Jefferson’s fault, with the offense having other issues, but he still hasn’t been productive enough.
Smith is correct that Jefferson has still been doing the dirty work. The Steelers want to be a run-first team, and that means the receivers often need to block well. Jefferson hasn’t been perfect, but he’s been a willing blocker. He’s bought into that role even though it doesn’t get reflected on the stat sheet.
With Wilson at quarterback, things were slightly improved. Jefferson only had two catches for 15 yards, but his touchdown essentially slammed the door shut on the Jets. Jefferson’s father, whom Smith mentions, is actually the wide receivers coach for the Jets, so that moment likely did mean a lot to him. He didn’t have a huge game, but he did manage to score against his father’s team.
Jefferson hasn’t had the season he likely wanted up to this point, but things can still change. If the Steelers continue to pass well with Wilson under center, then perhaps his production can improve. If not, then they may add an outside name to that room, which could bump Jefferson down on the depth chart. We’ll see if Jefferson can continue to build momentum with Wilson at quarterback.
