The Importance of Chemistry

So much of what receivers are able to accomplish within the offense is dependent on chemistry with their quarterback. The faith that a passer has in their receiver to go after a 50/50 ball, or the knowledge a quarterback has of when exactly their pass-catcher will break from their route, it’s all crucial in the relationship between a quarterback and a receiver, and it’s a luxury JuJu Smith-Schuster wasn’t allowed with either Mason Rudolph nor Duck Hodges.

In fact, chemistry was often working against Smith-Schuster in the case of Rudolph, who had spent his college days throwing passes to James Washington– two former Oklahoma State Cowboys who found their ways to the Steelers roster. And while Rudolph grew accustomed to throwing to receivers lower on the Steelers depth chart, his experience working with Smith-Schuster may have been limited by comparison with his lack of experience working with the first-team offense.

But chemistry won’t be a problem between Roethlisberger and Smith-Schuster. In fact, two of the three most-targeted games Smith-Schuester had in 2019 came from the two games that Big Ben played in. 

Plenty of question marks remain surrounding Roethlisberger’s ability to bounce back from injury at 38 years old– leading to even more questions about Smith-Schuster’s ability to bounce back from a down season. But with Big Ben set to return to the offense, much of the inconsistency that brought down the entire Steelers offense will be put to rest. Smith-Schuster may struggle to replicate his 2018 production due to his quarterback’s age, as well as his own struggles to create separation against added defensive attention. 

But with a Hall Of Fame quarterback on his side once again, one who trusts him, Smith-Schuster may once again be ready to become elite.