The Atlanta Falcons are releasing former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver James Washington, they announced on Sunday. Washington got a chance with the Falcons in July amid injuries in their wide receiver room, but he has been unable to parlay that into anything significant in that room.

It is yet another team that Washington was looking to make but has found his attempts unsuccessful. Over the last few years since leaving the Steelers, Washington has played for the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, and others trying to stick in one spot.

Washington suffered a significant foot injury in training camp with the Cowboys in 2022. Ever since that injury, Washington has failed to make any practice squad or 90-man roster for more than a few weeks.

The Steelers’ second-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Washington had his best season in 2019, racking up 757 receiving yards and three touchdowns. However, Washington would become buried on the depth chart over time as he failed to separate consistently.

Washington’s lack of playing time eventually got to him, with reports of him requesting a trade out of Pittsburgh during their 2021 training camp. Pittsburgh let him walk following the 2021 season, and his adventure around the NFL has continued since then.

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers are having trouble avoiding injuries during training camp and their first two preseason games. After a disappointing 9-3 loss to the Buffalo Bills where the first team offense was nonexistent, there is some salt being thrown in their proverbial wound. It was announced that running back Jaylen Warren will miss multiple weeks due to an apparent hamstring injury.

After catching a pass from quarterback Russell Wilson, Warren left the game under his own power but looked hobbled. He missed the remainder of the game, and reportedly could miss some time. According to NFL insider Tom Pelissaro, Warren’s injury is a hamstring issue that could keep him out multiple weeks.

With the uncertainty of Warren’s return timeline, it’s possible he misses the team’s week one opener against the Atlanta Falcons. Steelers beat writer for Penn Live, Nick Farabaugh, added via his X account that Warren’s availability for week one is “going to be right on the border.”

The injury comes at the worst possible time for the Steelers. Warren’s 2023 campaign earned him a starting role with the team, as he formed a formidable one-two punch with Najee Harris. With 149 carries, he picked up over 700 rushing yards in addition to over 300 receiving yards and four touchdowns.

Without Warren, Harris figures to continue his role as the Steelers’ bell cow. He may be given more carries with Warren out, but it’s possible the Steelers use this as a chance to give some other players an expanded look.

Behind Harris, there figures to be more opportunities for newly-signed Cordarrelle Patterson to work as a runner. Depth options like La’Mical Perine, Aaron Shampklin, and Jonathan Ward, who all impressed in small doses during preseason action, could also benefit from Warren’s injury.

The Steelers open their season in just a few weeks against the Falcons. The team travels to Atlanta to take on the Falcons on September 8, giving Warren just three weeks to get back on the field.

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Few players have meant more to the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 21st century than Andrew McCutchen.

For the foreseeable future, though, they’ll be without McCutchen, as a left knee injury landed him on the 10-day Injured List on Saturday. While Pittsburgh managed fine in his absence in a 7-2 win over the Seattle Mariners, the impact of losing McCutchen isn’t lost on Isiah Kiner-Falefa.

“Big shoes to fill,” Kiner Falefa said. “This is his team [and] his organization. His number is going to get retired here. He means a lot to us. He’s been a big help for me. Hopefully, I can just keep learning from him.”

Kiner-Falefa, who was acquired by Pittsburgh (58-64) at the trade deadline by the Toronto Blue Jays, stepped into the leadoff spot with McCutchen out. The utility infielder went 3-for-4 and hit his first home run in a Pirates uniform. In 13 games, the 29-year-old has batted .296 with five RBIs, three doubles and two triples.

McCutchen, 37, has been the sparkplug for the Pirates offense out of the leadoff spot, batting .252 with 15 home runs and 35 RBIs. For the season, the former MVP is batting .235 with 16 home runs, 40 RBIs and a team-high 59 runs scored. The five-time all-star leads Pittsburgh with 51 walks and is second in on-base percentage (.350), only trailing fellow outfielder Bryan Reynolds.

With Pittsburgh only having a 0.6 percent chance of making the playoffs via the Wild Card, according to Fangraphs, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Pirates took a much more precautionary approach with McCutchen for the rest of the season. Managing without one of their best hitters won’t be easy, though, and Kiner-Falefa knows the challenge that lies ahead without McCutchen in the lineup.

“Cutch is irreplaceable,” Kiner-Falefa said. “No matter what you do, you’re never going to replace a guy like that. So we could go on a run, and it still doesn’t make up for not having him in the lineup.”

Pittsburgh will look to get the sweep when it faces the Mariners on Saturday at 1:05 p.m. ET at PNC Park.

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