PITTSBURGH -- Star Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Jonnu Smith returned to the practice field on Saturday after missing time with a nagging knee injury.
Smith called the knee issue ‘soreness’ after Mike Tomlin used the same moniker, and he knows time is of the essence. He hopes to establish a better connection with quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
“It feels good, man, getting back into the flow and the rhythm of things. I understand time is of the essence,” Smith said.
Smith, who received a new one-year, $12 million contract as part of the trade, joined his former longtime offensive coordinator and head coach, Arthur Smith, with the Steelers.
He set career-highs last year with 88 receptions for 884 yards and eight touchdowns in the Dolphins offense. All of those marks were franchise records.
“[I’m] extremely excited,” Smith said. “This is a very talented offense, man. We’ve got a lot of different, unique skillsets at each position. We’ve got a lot of advantages and it’s up to us to bring it to fruition.”
Smith believes that he and Pat Freiermuth could be the best tight end duo in the entire NFL, but they have to go prove it on an NFL field first.
“We’ve got to prove it,” Smith said. “You can say all that if you want. On paper, we are. But we’ve got to go out and prove it.”
During his years with Arthur, Jonnu Smith progressively became a more prominent part of the offense, putting up consecutive 400-yard seasons with Arthur Smith as the offensive coordinator.
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