With Martavis Bryant suspended constantly, the Pittsburgh Steelers felt like they had to find another wide receiver that could complement Antonio Brown. With that, the Steelers drafted JuJu Smith-Schuster in the second round of the 2017 NFL Draft as a guy who could make plays when Brown was not open. Smith-Schuster would prove the team right, as he amassed roughly 2,300 yards combined as the number two guy. However, one man's fortune is another man's misfortune. There was one receiver for the Steelers who felt like his chances of being a 1,000-yard receiver were stolen from him.
Peter Diana / Post-Gazette
Steelers WR Eli Rogers picks up a first down against the Patriots during a game at Heinz Field in 2018.
After racking up 600 total yards in 13 games as a rookie, Eli Rogers felt like he could be the next great Steelers' receiver. Someone even made a comment on X about it, and Rogers responded with a post that explained why he thought he was robbed of that chance.
That’s a fact. But my role lessened because they drafted a WR who was a big social media presence. And he was drafted. So they have to play em https://t.co/vESJEFsl94
— E L I R O G E R S (@__bELIeve17) March 16, 2024
Once Smith-Schuster was drafted, all of Rogers' stats immediately dropped, including his snap count. Smith-Schuster and Brown made a deadly one-two combo. Smith-Schuster had almost 1,000 yards in only 14 games in his rookie season, then he exploded in 2018, going for over 1,400 yards on 111 receptions. The Steelers thought that they had their receiving duo for a long time.
Philip G. Pavely / USA Today
Steelers wide receivers Antonio Brown and Juju Smith-Schuster celebrate getting a touchdown in a game against the Cleveland Browns.
To add injury to insult, Rogers tore his ACL during the 2017-'18 playoff loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. He did not return until Week 15 of 2018. He caught 12 passes for 79 yards in the three weeks that he was healthy, but by then, the writing was on the wall: Rogers' time in Pittsburgh was over. He bounced around between spring leagues since then, but has not been able to reach the potential he thought he had.
Rogers also had to throw in a little shot at Smith-Schuster in his post. Smith-Schuster has been known for his TikToks, and it had gotten him in trouble during his tenure with the Steelers. However, the social media presence was not why he was given a starting job over Rogers. Smith-Schuster wasn't able to put up the same numbers he did when he was with Brown, but by then Rogers was gone.
Peter Diana / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter/ X)
Steelers Juju Smith-Schuster dances in Cincinnati while Chase Claypool films him
Former Steelers' Wide Receiver In Rogers Also Active On Social Media
In a twist of irony, Rogers has been trying make a name for himself on social media by posting regularly on X, as well as making his own YouTube channel. He even wanted to get Mike Tomlin's attention right after blaming Smith-Schuster for his struggles. You can't just throw a shot at someone for their social media presence when you're trying to build one yourself.
This isn't even the first time he's thrown a former teammate under the bus. He previously complained about Ryan Switzer hanging out with Ben Roethlisberger, claiming that that was the reason he was cut before the 2019 season. Like with Smith-Schuster, Rogers sent that post out on X (Twitter at the time) so the world could see his frustrations.
Even if his gripes have some legitimacy to them, he has not been able to rebound from his injury. He can't even keep a role in a spring league, so there is little-to-no chance that he can get back into the NFL, especially with the blame game he's playing. He hasn't even played in an NFL preseason game in 4 years, so he should just stick to building up his social media presence.
What do you think about Rogers throwing a jab at Smith-Schuster? Does he have any right to be upset? Could Rogers have been the great receiver he thinks he could have been? Let us know in the comments.
#SteelerNation.
