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JuJu Smith-Schuster #19 of the Pittsburgh Steelers warms up earlier than the sport in opposition to the Buffalo Payments.
Whether or not you wish to settle for it or not, the New York Giants have their quarterback. Each GM Dave Gettleman and head coach Joe Choose regurgitated this precise notion to reporters earlier this week.
Now that they’ve their man below heart, it’s time to provide him with some much-needed offensive weapons — particularly at wideout. Impending free brokers equivalent to Kenny Golladay, Corey Davis and Curtis Samuel have been the gamers most readily related to the Giants forward of the brand new league 12 months’s opening. Nonetheless, NFL Community Analytics Skilled Cynthia Frelund has a unique pass-catcher in thoughts.
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JuJu Smith-Schuster, Future WR1 for the Giants?
Utilizing an analytics-based perspective to greatest match prime 2021 NFL free brokers to the groups the place they’d have the best affect, Frelund believes JuJu Smith-Schuster must be headed to New York — projecting he might add 1.11 wins to the staff’s win complete.
“I actually wished to checklist two groups right here, simply to point out the affect {that a} slot receiver can have, particularly within the purple zone. As for Smith-Schuster’s match with the Giants, eight of his 9 touchdowns in 2020 got here from the slot (tied for essentially the most, with Travis Kelce, per NGS),” Frelund notes. “New York QBs had a passer ranking when concentrating on the slot of simply 82.3 final season, second-lowest within the NFL. On a roster that additionally boasts a returning Saquon Barkley, Smith-Schuster might simply fulfill the position of a No. 1 WR.”
JuJu Not Anticipated to Return to Steelers
Each he and the staff have made that abundantly clear, even when they’ve but to formally announce such a transfer.
Sports activities Illustrated not too long ago put out an Instagram ballot asking if the Smith-Schuster would keep in Pittsburgh. By the look of it, the 24-year-old clearly seems prepared to check the free company market, voting “that’s a unfavorable” on the ballot.
Is the @TeamJuJu period over in Pittsburgh? 🤔
(by way of @Kaitlin_OToole) pic.twitter.com/YozPkWoXkf
— Sports activities Illustrated (@SInow) March 11, 2021
Including to the possible divorce, the Steelers’ personal official staff web site hinted on the wideout not returning to Pittsburgh in 2021.
“Smith-Schuster is about to turn out to be an unrestricted free agent on March 17, and regardless of his pronouncements on social media that he desires to proceed his profession with the Steelers, he’s unlikely to wish to settle for what the cap-strapped Steelers would be capable of pay him on a brand new contract,” Steelers.com’s Bob Labriola wrote.
The USC product did lead all Steelers receivers in each receptions (97) and touchdowns (9) this previous season. But on the similar time, the once-feared big-play menace was seemingly deligated to a possession position in Pittsburgh’s system.
Since rating fifth within the NFL with 1,426 receiving yards in 2018, Smith-Schuster has been on a gradual decline by way of explosive performs. None extra so than in 2020, when he averaged simply 8.6 yards per reception, rating 126th within the NFL.
With Diontae Johnson, the NFL’s fifth-most focused receiver (144), below contract via 2022, and budding star Chase Claypool coming into simply his second season, the probability that the cap-stricken Steelers retain their as soon as No. 1 wideout seems bleak.
Nonetheless, at simply 24 years outdated and solely two seasons faraway from a 111 reception, Professional Bowl marketing campaign, Smith-Schuster might show to be a cut price signing this offseason.
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