Ola and Eli to start practicing

Washington is very often the man in motion, something Rogers has done. The offense asks all of the receivers to play both in the slot and out wide. Brown and Smith-Schuster do both. So does Washington, though he isn't doing either particularly well.

 

What are you going to get for him? A warm six-pack?

 

I'm thinking the biggest issue with Washington is reading the defense and adjusting accordingly. I'm sure he hasn't seen anything like it in college especially in the conference he played in. Steelers do ask a lot from their receivers and combined with Ben's ability ad lib and extend plays it's possible Washington is having a difficult time with some of that. Ben is big on trust with his WRs and I just don't think he's there yet with Washington. I still like Washington and his upside but I definitely wouldn't mind giving Eli a chance.
Rogers>Hunter IMO. They have until week 12 to make a decision on Rogers.....

 

I still haven't figured out why Matt Thomas hasn't been given opportunities. Ola good. Eli Good << he's made plays for Ben before.

Both good moves. I'm not all that impressed with Chikillo anyways. Serves a functional role at best.

 

The primary reason not to continue to use Washington is that he has been nearly useless. The guy has started five games and he is playing a significant percentage of the snaps, but he only has eight receptions for 77 yards and one touchdown this season. They are fighting for a playoff berth and a bye. It's time to focus on using guys who actually produce. At this point, Rogers is far more likely to produce.

 

A UDFA who was injured. Exactly what are you anticipating we would get in return?

 

Hunter has done absolutely nothing since he has become a Steeler..Has not produced when given playing time.Would rather have Eli on the roster,at least he has shown some flashes..

 

In regards to Rogers I think the expectations of where he is at in his recovery and what he can contribute should he get a hat on game day are greatly exaggerated? A quick shifty guy coming off a knee injury and who at the beginning of the season was working at half speed in personal workouts.

Given the discussions we have seen about he who shall remain nameless and how ready he would be without camp or game shape many had him at at least an 8 out of 10, to read some of these responses you'd think Rogers is at an 11.

At least with Ola I can see using him a a situational pass rusher with limited responsibility beyond getting after the QB. Eli is being elevated to Edelman type dtature.

 

I get what you're saying but the bar isn't set very high right now at the 3rd WR spot. Anyone's role is limited at that spot in the way our O is currently configured. No one is expecting miracles but I see him as a upgrade over Hunter. Even if he makes one or two plays to help us win a game to me it's worth it. He has had a chemistry with Ben that none of the other options can boast about at this point .
Savior....No ....upgrade over Hunter IMO ....yes

 

Washington is getting quite a few of those snaps. Notice how often he is the guy in motion.

 

I personally don't see Rogers as a outside threat whatsoever and I know it's not a popular opinion but I do see him as a clear upgrade over Switzer in the slot if he's completely healthy. At this point I see Switzer as a gimmicky type option because there is no one else to work the middle of the field. Washington is clearly not comfortable or trusted enough yet in that role. There are a lot of nuances to playing the slot and Ben has seemed to have a comfort level with Rogers in the past. Ben has always spoke highly of his ability.
To me it's a simple process. Get Eli practicing and if he looks good and holds up for a couple weeks of practice at that point release Hunter. Give Eli a couple games while Washington is inactive and see what we get from Rogers. If he can't make it through the practice phase and doesn't impress just let him go....
With the tendency we have of playing in tight games 1 or 2 plays can be the difference between winning and losing. You have to explore every option you have at your disposal. I think if they didn't have any belief in Rogers ability to help the team they would of just cut him a long time ago....

 

Watching the Rams, Kupp went down but they have Cooks and Woods and several others.

The Chiefs have Hill and Watkins and several others.

My point, if Eli can bring depth, that is a good thing. Even if he only gets 1 catch per game, it is a positive contribution.

I would replace him with Hunter, who has done nothing. Let Switzer and Washington continue to get better as well.

 

We can disagree on slot receiver and Switzer definitely gets the nod on STs. Regarding where he was drafted means nothing to me. I just feel Rogers has a bigger catch radius and he has a very solid year under his belt playing with Ben. I know it's been a while and I'm not saying the chemistry or the usage would be the same. I don't know why this is even a Switzer/Rogers argument and comparison. I like Eli over Hunter and having another proven option in the slot helps more than it hurts. Hunter will never be anything but a one trick pony and the deep ball seems buried in this O that we run now. I like our O much better when we spread the ball around and move the chains. I think Eli provides that...

 

Washington had a great sideline catch last game. Knee high ball

 

That was his only catch in the game and one of only three receptions during the six-game winning streak. (He was inactive for the second game against the Browns.)

Given how many snaps he gets, that's an alarming lack of production.

 

I think Eli is just signed for 2018

 

To be fair, Eli had those 48 receps when we didn't have JuJu. I think Ben utilized him more then. And I've been a fan of Eli. I'm OK with keeping both Eli and Switzer, but you'd have to take one guy from the inactive list and PS him or release him. I'd like for them to keep Washington on the active list, I think he has very good potential. He just needs the time.
They have 21 days to make a decision on Eli. That time in practice will decide a lot in terms of physical readiness etc, unfortunately so will any future injuries to the WR spot. But if they decide to keep Eli after that time, you would think it'd have to be Hunter.

 

Yes I acknowledged the difference in usage and Hunter would be the guy to go I feel. While it would be nice to keep all 3 active on game day (Switzer,Washington and Eli)I know that's not gonna happen. I'm also all for Washingtons development but I wanna win a SB too. For one reason or another Washington isn't producing and I don't think at this point a two dog one bone scenario is the worst thing. Like you and I both agree on practice will tell a better story. So let's start him practicing now to see what we got ,if it's good then give him a game or two to be a difference maker .If he's not then just release him. No harm ,no foul . Washington has been a inactive before for Hunter so why not give Eli a game or two if his effectiveness at practice dictates that. It's not like we are getting production from the spot anyway so we might as well turn over a few more rocks....

 

They definitely have the wiggle room on offense to try new combos on a limited basis.

I don't think they have the same luxury on defense. I think the time for experimenting with Matthew Thomas at ILB or Ola at OLB have passed. And that's unfortunate because you don't really know what you have with them. They've seen Thomas on STs but not at ILB. It's also a good thing, because I think the rotation of VW98, Bostic and Fort have been productive.

Ola had the injury so no chance for him to see playing time early in the season. He's signed thru 2020 I believe so hopefully he comes on strong next year.

 

Yes it is a shame that we didn't get a look at any of our young LBs especially our OLBs. Now with Chickillo being a full participant we probably won't. A decision is going to have to be made about Dupree and would of been nice to have something on tape from the young guys.