Donte Moncrief Leads Battle To Be Pittsburgh Steelers' No. 2 Receiver

Donte Moncrief, a talented receiver who has largely underperformed in five NFL seasons, has emerged as the clear leader to be the Pittsburgh Steelers' No. 2 receiver behind JuJu Smith-Schuster, according to Mark Kaboly of The Athletic. Kaboly says that an impressive spring has vaulted Moncrief ahead of James Washington, Dionte Johnson and others for the No. 2 spot. Moncrief signed with the Steelers as a free agent in March.

Moncrief's play has caught the eye of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who pinpointed Moncrief when asked who has stood out this offseason.

"I'd probably go with Donte Moncrief just because it's new," Roethlisberger said. "I kind of know what to expect from some of the other guys. I wasn't really sure what to expect when he came in. I didn't know him and now just getting to see his work ethic, the type of person he is, his desire to be great, his knowledge of the offense already. We'll do no-huddle stuff and I'll give him a signal and I'll be like, 'You good?' and he'll be like, 'Yeah.' He is in with coach [Darryl] Drake every single morning, pretty much all day.

"You see a desire and the want to be great. I've really enjoyed [the] opportunity to know him and to work with him so far. This is an awesome opportunity that he's here and we're getting to work together. He was with us when we went on our trip. It's just, it's been fun to get to know him as a person too."

Moncrief was drafted in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts. In 2015 he had his best season, catching 64 balls for 733 yards -- both career highs -- while scoring six touchdowns. Over the next two seasons he struggled with injuries and poor quarterback play (Andrew Luck missed all of '17 with injury) and signed a one-year deal with Jacksonville in '18.

In Pittsburgh Moncrief has an opportunity to see the field for a team looking to replace the production of the departed Antonio Brown, who had six straight 100-catch seasons from 2013 to '18. Moncrief also will get the chance to play again with a quality quarterback, Roethlisberger, who is coming of career highs in passing yards (5,129) and touchdown passes (34).