Jefferson confident he can be WR2 for Steelers
Van Jefferson revealed Tuesday that, despite an admiration for his new head coach from afar, upon joining the Steelers he might have been the only person in Pittsburgh unaware of an oft-recited factoid of admiration for Mike Tomlin.
“I didn’t know,” Jefferson said Tuesday from the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, “that he didn’t have a losing season until I came here.”
So as Jefferson learns Tomlin trivia, he’s likely just beginning to become increasingly aware of Tomlin’s trademark sayings.
As such, no, Jefferson’s choice of neck jewelry for Tuesday’s organized team activities session was not a nod to Tomlin’s “two dogs, one bone” maxim.
“No, this is a Super Bowl gift,” Jefferson explained. “We (the Los Angeles Rams) won the Super Bowl (2 ½ years ago), so I went out and got this for myself. No meaning to it. I just kind of like it.”
That Jefferson’s gold chain consists of several dog bones strung together could relate to questions surrounding the Steelers’ wide receivers depth chart. With apologies to Tomlin, the situation in regard to the WR2 right now might be described as “many dogs, one bone.”
Jefferson might just be the lead dog in that race.
“That’s always the goal, to have that mindset,” Jefferson said of earning a designation as “starter” at outside receiver across from George Pickens for the 2024 Steelers. “But at the end of the day, I am just trying to be the best player that I can be, earn the trust of the quarterbacks, earn the trust of the coaches and make the most of my opportunity.”
Jefferson arguably has the most accomplished résumé of any receiver currently on the roster: 61 career NFL games, 35 starts, 113 catches, 1,600 yards, 10 touchdowns.
He also has that Super Bowl ring, from his second season when as a 25-year-old he started all 21 Rams games (including playoffs) and totaled 59 receptions for 904 yards and six touchdowns.
Jefferson joined Scotty Miller and Quez Watkins as receivers with similar credentials who signed oneyear free-agent contracts for the veteran minimum salary with the Steelers this spring. That trio, plus Calvin Austin III and rookie Roman Wilson, comprise the Steelers’ WR options immediately after Pickens.
Jefferson is the proverbial leader in the clubhouse for the No. 2 receiver gig.
“I obviously have a lot of confidence in myself. I obviously think I can do those things,” Jefferson said. “But at the end of the day, I have to put in the work to get the opportunity to earn that. Nothing is going to be handed to me. I need to work for that spot, and I am comfortable in doing that.”
A second-round pick of the Rams out of Florida in 2020, the 6-foot-1, 200-pound Jefferson was the next receiver selected that year following the Steelers’ choice of Chase Claypool. Jefferson’s father, Shawn, was an NFL wide receiver for 13 seasons with four teams.
Jefferson was targeted eight times by Matthew Stafford during the Rams’ Super Bowl LVI win against Cincinnati in February 2022. But by last season, Jefferson’s role with Los Angeles diminished to the point he was traded via a swap of late-round draft picks with Atlanta in October.
Jefferson had just 12 catches in 12 games with the Falcons, who fired head coach Arthur Smith after the season ended. Smith is now the Steelers’ offensive coordinator.
Throughout his career, Jefferson has been deployed on the outside and in the slot.
The oldest of the 12 receivers on the Steelers’ roster (he turns 28 next month), Jefferson has embraced a mentor role for younger position mates after the departure of a former Jefferson teammate who served that role for the 2023 Steelers, Allen Robinson.
“He’s won a Super Bowl, been at the top and is just a consistent person,” Austin said. “He shows up to work with a great attitude. His approach to the game is something you could learn a lot from.
“He’s got some of the best routes and footwork you’ll see. That’s something that I really pay attention to … and that’s something Van brings with him — short-area quickness, feet work, consistency, preciseness, all of that.”
