Steelers: 3 easy James Washington replacements if they trade him
By John Buhler
The Pittsburgh Steelers have options if they end up trading wide receiver James Washington.
Despite being a collegiate standout at Oklahoma State, wide receiver James Washington has not had the same success in the NFL during his initial run with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The unanimous All-American took home the Biletnikoff in 2017 for the Pokes. His marvelous Big 12 career culminated with Washington going in the late second round to the Steelers in the 2018 NFL Draft. Unfortunately, he has yet to be anything close to what he was in Stillwater at the professional level. Entering year four, he has reportedly asked for a trade from the Steelers.
Fortunately for Pittsburgh, the Steelers have plenty of wide receivers available in free agency.
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
Pittsburgh Steelers: 3 replacements for James Washington if he is traded
New York Giants. player. WR. Golden Tate. 3. 31. Scouting Report. Pick Analysis
Golden Tate can be a high-end No. 3 wide receiver at this stage of his career
While the Steelers drafted Washington to be a No. 1 or No. 2 receiver, he has not been anything close to that in Pittsburgh uniform. JuJu Smith-Schuster has been a top-two receiver since being drafted out of USC and Chase Claypool marveled in his first year out of Notre Dame last season. So what the Steelers are looking for would be a high-end No. 3 or a very high-end No. 4 wide receiver.
Though he is on the wrong side of 30, Golden Tate would be exactly what the Steelers are looking for in a complementary receiver to theoretically replace Washington. While he is several years removed from his prime when he was with the Detroit Lions, Tate is coming off a solid two-year run with the New York Giants. He remains a free agent heading into his age-33 NFL season.
Long gone are Tate’s days of being a 1,000-yard receiver. However, if he wants to get back to a winning organization and wants to win another Super Bowl before he retires, the Steelers would not be a bad option for him. Pittsburgh usually puts its wide receivers in positions to succeed. Given that Tate is a savvy veteran, he could make it work right away with Ben Roethlisberger.
Tate is a good option for the Steelers to consider, but they might want to add somebody else.