The star of the Steelers' offense in their 30-28 preseason win Friday against the Buccaneers was undoubtedly James Washington. On a night when JuJu Smith-Schuster, Donte Moncrief and rookie Diontae Johnson were all unavailable, Washington came on strong in the first half to lead the offense.
I wrote during the offseason that Washington was due to break out this season after a rough rookie year, and he took the first steps to do that in this game. Let's take a closer look at how that happened:
Washington finished the night leading the Steelers in catches (4) receiving yards (84) and a touchdown. But it wasn't just the stats that impressed, it was how Washington got them. What I've been waiting to see from him has been sharper routes and that starts with his release off the line.
Last year Washington would struggle getting into his routes, especially when cornerbacks were in close press-coverage. He would get knocked off his route and not be able to set up a passing window for Ben Roethlisberger. That improved in his final four games of the season, and the team saw him beat the likes of Patriots All-Pro Stephon Gilmore before the season ended.
That improved release was on display Friday as he was open consistently, charging up the Steelers' passing game. Watch his back-shoulder touchdown reception from Mason Rudolph. The catch is impressive but what's equally important is how he gets off the ball and works cornerback M.J. Stewart off the ball.
Look closely for his stutter step that jabs to the inside and forces Stewart to honor Washington's threat of breaking to the middle of the field. That gave Washington just enough space to work to the sideline and forced Stewart to race to the back pylon to stop the threat of a fade route. Once Stewart committed to that it was a matter of Rudolph just putting it behind Washington for the grab:
Washington did well in last year's preseason because he was winning jump balls. Those are nice, but it takes more than that to be a complete wide receiver in the NFL. I was confident that Washington would bring a strong performance this season, especially after watching him all through training camp.
He's had several big plays and nice moves in practices, but the real impressive moments were when he got more reps against Joe Haden after an injury to Moncrief. Washington lost some of those battles but turned around and won others with layered efforts, forcing Haden to honor different route threats and keep him from knowing what was coming.
When I talked to Washington after the game about his improved release and better detail at the line, he talked about how going against Haden and Steven Nelson have been a big part of his process.
"Especially going against the corners we have in Haden and Nelson, their footwork is crazy," Washington said. "You have to be on top of your game with your release to beat them. Going against them has really helped me out a lot."
Starting your route strong is how you set yourself open for the biggest catches, and Washington knows that. Whether he's against zone or man coverage, he has to fire off the line with proper footwork to keep to disguise his routes.
His biggest play of the night was a 43-yard reception from Josh Dobbs in the first quarter. The cornerback covering him is Vernon Hargraves III, the 12th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. Washington's route is a deep post to work over the middle safety, but he has to keep Hargreaves from coming to the inside of the field.
Last year, Washington would run the traditional post straight up the field and turn to the middle, drawing the attention of Hargreaves III and probably the middle safety, as well. But he starts this route by firing toward the sideline as if he's ready to run an out, pushing Hargreaves away from the middle of the field, so his cut to the post is clean and wide open:
Of course, Washington finishes the play with his strong hands, pulling down the jump ball over Hargreaves III. Those strong hands were his best asset in 2018, but now that strength has been complemented with layers of other skills that make him a difficult receiver to cover.
He was the Steelers' No. 1 receiver Friday night and received attention from the Buccaneers' best cornerback. He'll face better cornerbacks as the season goes along, but with the trajectory at which his skills are improving, he may be ready to take on all challengers.
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