It doesn’t seem like all that long ago that former Pittsburgh Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster was seen as the next rising star in the city’s sports hero constellation. After a standout rookie season in 2017, he quickly ascended to Pro Bowl levels, but has since come back down to Earth.
While he has still contributed in significant ways frequently in the years since, at no point during that time has he ever been taken seriously as a true number-one receiver. Indeed, he’s become more of a role player even in the awful New England Patriots offense, coming to town on Thursday.