PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers are bringing in a familiar face for a visit before their Week 6 matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. According to a team source, JuJu Smith-Schuster is making his way to the Steel City as they look for wide receiver help and he looks for a home during the 2026 season.
Smith-Schuster was the Steelers’ second-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. He spent five seasons in Pittsburgh, starting 51 of his 63 games played and recording 3,855 yards and 26 touchdowns.
He earned his only Pro Bowl appearance during his time with the Steelers.
After his time in Pittsburgh, Smith-Schuster joined the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots, spending three of the next four seasons with the Chiefs. Last season, he played in all 17 games and started 12 for the Chiefs, recording 33 receptions, 345 yards and a touchdown.
He’s totaled 5,624 yards and 33 touchdowns throughout his nine-year NFL career, and will turn 30 years old during the 2026 season.
The Steelers lost Michael Pittman Jr. (foot), Roman Wilson (finger) and Ben Skowronek (calf) to injuries over the last few weeks and are looking for help. Germie Bernard and DK Metcalf are expected to start, with practice squaders Brandon Smith, Brandon Johnson and Isaiah Hodgins potentially getting the call-up to play against the Buccaneers.
Smith-Schuster has tried out for the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Chargers over the last few days. He has not played for a team during the 2026 season.
Steelers Options at WR
The Steelers are down bad when it comes to the wideout position, but feel comfortable with some in-house options. If Wilson and Pittman Jr. are both out long-term, Smith is likely to be signed to the 53-man roster after his three practice squad elevations.
They will test out Johnson and Hodgins, but would like outside help if they can get it. There are several names being floated around as trade possibilities, but this team isn’t ready for a big splash just yet. Instead, they’ll look for free agent options with names like Smith-Schuster, Josh Reynolds and Ray-Ray McCloud still available on the open market.
Hosting Smith-Schuster does not guarantee a deal, but the Steelers clearly have some interest in their former second-round pick.
The Steelers will travel to Tampa Bay this weekend before going to Paris to play the New Orleans Saints next week. So, any signing that does happen may come with a ramp-up period as they learn the offense in the midst of travel.
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