The Steelers were hoping for growth from their young wide receiver group this season.
But it might have taken the loss of not just their No. 1 receiver in the offseason, but their new No. 1 receiver at midseason to see that growth take place.
With JuJu Smith-Schuster out for the better part of the past month, the Steelers have been forced to lean on young receivers such as James Washington, Diontae Johnson, Deon Cain and Tevin Jones to power their passing game.
Now, with Smith-Schuster possibly set to return for Sunday's game at Heinz Field against the Bills (9-4), the offense looks a little different for the Steelers (8-5) than the one he left with a concussion and knee injury in the second quarter Nov. 14, in Cleveland.
"I don’t think there’s any doubt," offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner said Thursday at the Rooney Complex. "The more plays get made and the more consistent we are as a group, it lessens that load and allows everyone to be more involved."
Whether or not Smith-Schuster plays Sunday remains to be seen. After practicing fully on Wednesday, he left practice early on Thursday. But he could be back on the field Friday as the Steelers finish up their preparation to play the Bills.
What would that bring to the Steelers' lineup?
"Leadership, right off the bat," Fichtner said. "He’s a physical player. You start to get to this time of year, physical play is necessary."
The Steelers could certainly use the return of Smith-Schuster and running back James Conner, who practiced fully for the second consecutive day and seems to be on target to return from a shoulder injury.
But they've also found different ways to make their offense run with that duo out.
Washington, a second-round pick in 2018, has picked his game up considerably. In the past six games, he's caught 24 passes for 450 yards and three touchdowns. Most of that came with Smith-Schuster out of the lineup, with Washington becoming the de facto No. 1 receiver.
Johnson has also had his moments with Smith-Schuster out. Though he had few of those moments in the first half of the season, his production had slowed of late as some felt he might be hitting the rookie wall.
But last week in a win over the Cardinals, Johnson caught six passes for 60 yards and a touchdown, ran an end-around for 16 yards, and scored on an 85-yard punt return.
Cain and Jones have had their moments, as well.
"They’ve been great. They’ve done everything they’ve been asked to have done," Fichtner said. "A lot of guys have had different roles. The numbers plays to their favor. When JuJu is in, guys can go back to their home spots. Obviously, they’ll feel more comfortable in their positions."
Smith-Schuster had drawn a lot of attention this season after taking over for Antonio Brown as the Steelers' top target, but that might change down the stretch.
Double Smith-Schuster and now the other guys have shown they have the ability to make plays.
"It will balance things out for sure because they can’t just double one person," Washington agreed. "Some teams still might. As far as playing us true, I feel like more teams will have to play us true."
Smith-Schuster has struggled at times this season, both because of the Steelers' constantly changing situation at quarterback and because of the additional attention he's received from opposing defenses.
He had a breakout year in 2018, catching 111 passes for 1,426 yards and seven touchdowns on 166 targets. This season, he's been targeted 60 times in 10 games, but has caught 38 passes for 524 yards and three scores.
Regardless of the slip in production -- getting four fewer passes thrown his way per game doesn't help -- the Steelers will be glad to get Smith-Schuster back in the lineup.
"He is a great player. Just adds another weapon to the offense and maybe change some of the things they may do as far as what they do, I don’t know," quarterback Devlin Hodges said. "It is definitely going to help, though, that’s for sure. He is a great player and I’m obviously excited for the opportunity of him coming back."
Hodges and Smith-Schuster haven't exactly played a lot together. In Hodges' first start in Los Angeles against the Chargers on Oct. 13, Hodges targeted Smith-Schuster four times, completing just one for a seven-yard gain.
But on his other three passes in brief action on the field with Smith-Schuster, Hodges has completed all three of his passes for 38 yards.
Smith-Schuster had hoped to return last week to face the Cardinals, but the Steelers held him back an additional week because of the sprained knee.
Now, it's just a matter whether his knee is ready to go.
"He was wanting to get back last week," Fichtner said. "It’s injuries and young guys. He’s got all the enthusiasm and want-to, but sometimes those things take their own time and you’ve got to work your way through it."
LOLLEY'S VIEW
We'll see how the Steelers handle Smith-Schuster. It's still not known if the plan was for him to take it easy Thursday after going through a full practice Wednesday. This might be something they have to work through the rest of the season.
But getting him back on the field would be a huge boost for the offense, giving Hodges another competent receiver to throw the ball.
Jaylen Samuels was back at practice on Thursday, as well, so the Steelers are about as healthy as they can be heading into perhaps their biggest game of the season.