How JuJu Smith-Schuster’s Success is Tied to Diontae Johnson

JuJu Smith-Schuster’s 2019 season was a let all the way down to everybody. His Sophomore season, the place he eclipsed over 1400 receiving yards, was lengthy passed by the top of the 2019 season. Smith-Schuster misplaced quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in week two after which handled Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges’s up and down play for the rest of the season. It by no means helps to have injures both, as Smith-Schuster performed with an ailing turf toe damage and sprained MCL all through totally different factors of the season. All in all, he completed with simply 552 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

Smith-Schuster’s season has been the purpose of debate. Was the impact of shedding Antonio Brown that huge? Is Smith-Schuster principally responsible? Had been the circumstances surrounding the season the downfall of Smith-Schuster’s play?

The reply is a little bit little bit of all the pieces in all of these. Nonetheless, if he’s to rebound in 2020, his success won’t simply be tied to his private play. As a substitute, budding younger star Diontae Johnson, who led rookies in receptions and damaged tackles final season, shall be a key think about Smith-Schuster’s success.

Exploring the Affect of Antonio Brown

That is the place Antonio Brown comes again into the equation. Brown was a particular expertise, clearly, and defenses needed to take be aware and respect that expertise. Nonetheless, the rationale he was so vital and priceless was that he altered how defenses performed. Probably the most harmful receivers in soccer create a lot of separation and burn defenses after the catch. Brown did that on a constant degree with elite route operating and elusiveness within the open area.

For instance, this play works very well as an instance what Brown’s affect was. In a 3×1 set, the bottom task shouldn’t be normally the main focus, particularly in a Cowl 3 scheme that Atlanta is deploying. What the specter of Brown does is shift that security over and open the seam proper up for Smith-Schuster. Brown created alternatives for different receivers round him, together with Smith-Schuster.

In that 2018 season, Smith-Schuster’s absurd manufacturing was helped by an elite receiver throughout from him. He additionally had his future Corridor of Fame quarterback in Roethlisberger. These are simply a few of the components that allowed Smith-Schuster to catapult into stardom with that breakout second yr.

How Diontae Johnson Suits within the Image

Now, enter Diontae Johnson. In a world the place there is just one Antonio Brown, Johnson would be the closest factor a staff can get to Brown with out getting the person himself. After a formidable rookie marketing campaign the place Brown broke tackles and burnt cornerbacks with crisp routes and high-level useful athleticism, the prospects are trying up for the teenager out of Toledo.

Johnson can act in an identical solution to Brown. Not solely was a part of Brown’s affect the truth that he might win vertically and did, however Johnson proved he might do the identical final yr. Johnson ran a 2.89 yards per route final yr when aligned on the boundary. In 2018, Brown posted an identical 2.91 yards per route when aligned on the boundary. He was getting vertical and had quite a few huge catches downfield.

Now, what that may do is take the stress off Smith-Schuster. With groups specializing in the specter of a simple separator in Johnson, it would enable Smith-Schuster to work in one-on-one conditions extra usually. Defenses will ahve to change their gameplan away from Smith-Schuster and onto Johnson extra or get burnt. Along with his talent set, that ought to enable Smith-Schuster to probably thrive.

Can JuJu-Smith-Schuster Bounce Again?

With all that’s given above, is Smith-Schuster truly going to rebound?

Properly, that’s all dependant on a couple of key occasions occurring. For one, Roethlisberger, Smith-Schuster, and Johnson have to be wholesome. Second, Johnson has to take that step to be an much more important menace than he was final yr. Meaning combating by contact higher and eliminating fumbles and drops. Lastly, Smith-Schuster himself has to enhance. Whereas, sure, there have been components, Smith-Schuster’s 5 drops have been too many.

Nonetheless, there may be encouraging information with Smith-Schuster. He’ll transfer again to the slot for essentially the most half in 2020. That’s his comfy place since he’s finest working with a lot of house and off the road of scrimmage. He has by no means been a man to dismantle press protection with nice releases. As well as, the large, bodily Smith-Schuster shall be allowed to physique smaller slot cornerbacks and safeties in mismatches. He’s at his guess utilizing his physicality as a weapon and could be the reliable center of the sector goal. Over his first two years within the NFL, nobody had extra receiving yards from the slot than Smith-Schuster.

With the added bonus of a Brown-like pressure and even one other rising vertical presence in James Washington, the center of the sector may very well be the honey gap for the Steelers offense in 2020. If that’s true and defenses have persistently been frightened about getting cooked deep, Smith-Schuster goes to have a area day.

He might not be a high echelon huge receiver one like some thought, however with some assist round him, Smith-Schuster can turn out to be a harmful weapon if not held in examine. Johnson solely helps to make sure that Smith-Schuster could get run free extra usually in 2020.