Steelers Now
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Jonnu Smith (hip) is active for Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings in Ireland. Smith was categorized as questionable for the contest.
Smith was first listed as limited on Thursday’s injury report with a hip injury. It’s unclear when he suffered the injury. He has been the team’s co-starter at tight end, along with Pat Freiermuth, since coming over from the Miami Dolphins in a trade this summer.
Through three games, Smith has caught 12 passes for 65 yards (5.4 average) and one touchdown.
With 37 seconds to go before halftime in Week 1 against the New York Jets, Smith was motioned from left to right to take an Aaron Rodgers pop pass for a 2-yard touchdown. He was too quick for Jets linebacker Marcelino McCrary-Ball to get a hold of, grabbing at Smith’s feet as he bowled into and over safety Andre Cisco, who was also grappling with Smith’s fellow tight end, Pat Freiermuth.
As Smith toppled into the end zone, he reached the ball past linebacker Jamien Sherwood and knocked down the pylon.
“I love that that goes down as a touchdown reception,” Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said. “That’s a unique rule. But he’s a hard guy to tackle. We’ve got a couple guys that are ‘yards after contact’ guys. Having a physical player like Jaylen (Warren) allows you to use him as a lead blocker. Guy had a terrific block on that.
“I call it that last-mile delivery, guys that can get in at the 1- or 2-(yard line). When you’ve got guys like that, you’re gonna be a little bit better in the red zone. And certainly, Jonnu is one of those guys.”
Smith, who notched 88 receptions for 884 yards and eight scores last year, has the same assuredness regarding his position group. He believes the other skill positions will help unlock their potential.
“The sky’s the limit,” Smith said earlier this month. “We’re gonna be able to complement each other, play off of each other’s energy, man. … We’ve got a hell of a tight end room.”
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This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Steelers Get Good News on Key Offensive Weapon
