Call it a comeback for former Pittsburgh Steelers WR James Washington. According to KeynoteUSA’s Jeremy Fowler and an Instagram post from the free agent receiver, Washington is attempting to return to the NFL after sitting out most of 2022 and all of 2023.
According to Fowler, Washington has received “multiple inquiries” of teams and could sign soon.
Washington, a second-round pick of the Steelers in 2018, last played in 2022 as a member of the Dallas Cowboys. A broken foot limited him to just two games during that season with the Cowboys and he did not catch a pass. Washington then sat out the entire 2023 season.
He’s now 28 years old and trying to get into NFL training camp. On Tuesday, she shared this Instagram post and video, announcing that she was preparing for the “next step in my career.”
The video features a montage of his NFL highlights and his current training, running and cutting at full speed, looking healthy overall.
“They forgot about me. And I want to show the world that I still have it,” she says in the video.
He even uses the Mike Tomlin-style “there’s still a lot of meat on that bone” style in the clip. Washington also says that she is “stronger than ever” and notes that she trains five days a week. The clips were taken at Abilene Fieldhouse in Texas.
Washington appeared in 60 games for the Steelers from 2018 to 2021, catching 114 passes for 1,629 yards and 11 touchdowns. His best year came in 2019 when he led the team with 735 yards and an impressive 16.7 yards per reception. But he slowly lost playing time and was surpassed by Chase Claypool. For 2021, Washington caught just 24 passes, although he has the distinction of being the last player to catch a touchdown from Ben Roethlisberger, a 15-yard pass late in the team’s wild-card loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
He returned close to home and signed with the Cowboys in 2022, but suffered a broken foot during training camp and missed most of the year. In 2023, he spent time with the New York Giants, New Orleans Saints, and Indianapolis Colts, but failed to make the Week 1 roster and remained a free agent for the entire season.
Several Steelers shouted out Washington in the comments section of his Instagram video, including TE Pat Freiermuth. Former Steelers such as WR Ryan Switzer and TE Xavier Grimble also commented. Pittsburgh has a couple of open roster spots and released WR Denzel Mims, creating the opportunity for a reunion, but there are currently no reports linking Washington and the Steelers again.
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