Buried as the fourth receiver on a team that has been adamant about running the ball more and more effectively in 2021, James Washington has asked the Steelers for a trade. The request was first reported by ESPN's Adam Schefter..
Steelers’ WR James Washington, a former 2018 second-round pick, has approached the Steelers and requested a trade based on his limited playtime last season and so far this preseason, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 6, 2021
Washington, a fourth-year receiver out of Oklahoma State, was a second-round pick of the Steelers in 2018. He led the Steelers in receiving yards in 2019 with 735.
But the selections of Diontae Johnson in the third round in 2019 and Chase Claypool in the second round in 2020 have buried Washington on the depth chart behind those two and JuJu Smith-Schuster. Ray-Ray McCloud played ahead of Washington in Thursday night's 16-3 win over the Cowboys in the Hall of Fame game.
There had been hope in Washington's camp that Smith-Schuster, a free agent going into this offseason, would not return and Washington would get more opportunities in 2021. But Smith-Schuster surprisingly returned to the Steelers and Washington has been primarily used as the team's No. 4 receiver, the same as last season.
Washington saw his snap count drop to a career-low 486 in 2020, just 44 percent of the Steelers' offensive snaps. And with free agency looming, Washington doesn't want to be buried on the depth chart again in 2021.
In three seasons, Washington has 90 receptions for 1,344 yards and nine touchdowns. Last season, he caught 30 passes for 392 yards and five scores.
