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The ball came floating down and James Washington appeared out of position. The back of the end zone was behind him. Green Bay defensive back Demetri Goodson was in front of him. The window Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Josh Dobbs had to fit the ball to the rookie wide receiver didn't really exist.
So Washington created one.

The pass slightly underthrown Youth Deadrin Senat Jersey , Washington reached over Goodson and plucked it out of the air for a 19-yard touchdown in the third quarter. The second-round pick did it again in the fourth period, outmuscling Packers cornerback Herb Waters for a 22-yard score to help Pittsburgh save a little bit of face in an otherwise drab preseason loss.

While some of Washington's teammates erupted on the sideline after each acrobatic grab, one of them did not.

"It wasn't a surprise to me at all, I had seen it for four years," said rookie quarterback Mason Rudolph, who set records throwing the ball all over the field to Washington during their standout college careers at Oklahoma State. "All these guys kind of 'ooohed' and 'ahhhed' at it but … I think he's just scratching the surface of what he can do."

Washington hopes to take another step forward Saturday when he is expected to get some reps with the first team as the Steelers host Tennessee. The 22-year-old understands it will take time for him to develop a rapport with Ben Roethlisberger after spending so many years catching passes from Rudolph. Washington has tried to absorb as much as he can since the Steelers took him with the 60th overall pick in the draft. His route running remains a work in progress. His grasp of the offense remains in its infancy. Yet the signs he's starting to get it are there. Now it's time to show Roethlisberger he can do it when it counts.

"With Ben, you have to know the defense," Washington said. "You have to be watching while running your routes. With me and Mason you know, we're taught, 'Ok the ball is supposed to go here, it's supposed to go here.' With Ben, he's a Hall of Famer. He knows spots where he can sneak it in and throw you a back shoulder. You have to be ready with him."

And defenses might be wise to be ready for Washington, who figures to be in the third wide receiver slot behind All-Pro Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster when the AFC North champions open the 2018 season in Cleveland on Sept. 9.

"He's raw, but the kid can catch Sven Baertschi Jersey ," veteran wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey said. "He has a range that only a few people I've seen have. You throw it up, he's got a great vertical, but it's his ability to go get the ball that's amazing."

Having a frame Rudolph likened to a "bowling ball" helps. Washington is a thick 215 pounds, making it difficult for defensive backs to nudge him off his stride. It gets even harder when Washington unleashes his 39-inch vertical leap. The proof came during training camp at Saint Vincent College, when Washington found himself lining up across from two-time Pro Bowl defensive back Joe Haden.

Haden normally prefers to work against the starters during camp but couldn't turn down a chance to face off against Washington.

"Once I see him making plays on other guys, it's like 'Let me see what you can do,'" Haden said. "In Latrobe he got me in the end zone. Jumped up and got his hands on the ball the whole time and I couldn't get it. So he's just making really good plays. I was like, 'If you can make that on me, I think you're going to be good.'"

Asked if Washington chirped at him after the grab, Haden just laughed.

"No, he never said a thing," Haden said. "I've been around a lot of rookies that don't act like that and aren't as good (as he is)."

Talking has never really been Washington's thing. Consider it a byproduct of having to play with older kids while growing up in Texas. At the park across the street from his parent's house, Washington would find himself running around with cousins five or six years his senior. The only way to gain respect was to go out and earn it.

"I was always I guess pushed to an extent where I had to go hard," Washington said.

He plays with an intensity that helped him win the Biletnikoff Award last year as the top wide receiver in college football. His quiet demeanor fits in well in a wide receiver's room that includes the cerebral Heyward-Bey Womens Alexander Steen Jersey , the relentless Brown, and the ebullient Smith-Schuster. Washington is only too happy to be a sponge, absorbing what he can while proving he belongs.

"I think they've accepted my role and what I do," Washington said. "We joke around every once in a while. Like I told him: Don't expect me to be the guy yelling, just do my job."

NOTES: The Steelers signed inside linebacker Vince Williams to a four-year contract on Thursday that will run through the 2021 season. Williams, a sixth-round pick in the 2013 draft, finished with a career-high eight sacks in 2017. … Pittsburgh also signed Pro Bowl kicker Chris Boswell to a five-year deal that runs through 2022. … Coach Mike Tomlin said all healthy starters will see action against the Titans, though Brown, safety Morgan Burnett and linebacker T.J. Watt's status won't be certain until game time.

Le'Veon Bell and the Pittsburgh Steelers are at odds, battling and bickering over money. It's a football family fight.
The Browns won't play peacemakers.

"They can beat each other up for all we care," Cleveland coach Hue Jackson said Wednesday. "It does not matter."

But Bell's absence from Sunday's season opener between the AFC North neighbors could have a major impact on Cleveland's chances of ending a 17-game losing streak 鈥?and perhaps infuse a little life into a dormant rivalry.

Bell still hasn't joined his teammates as the Pro Bowl running back continues his holdout for a new contract. The stare-down between the sides has reached a critical juncture 鈥?and either a breaking or turning point 鈥?as the Steelers are days away from opening a new season.

When the 26-year-old Bell didn't report to the team and sign his $14.5 million one-year contract tender earlier this week, several of the team's offensive linemen voiced their displeasure toward a player they normally do all they can to protect.

"Here's a guy who doesn't give a damn, so I guess we'll treat it as such," veteran guard Ramon Foster said. "I just hate it came to this."

The Browns aren't complaining.

Pittsburgh's offense isn't the same without Bell Ian Thomas Color Rush Jersey , one of the NFL's best offensive players who ran for 1,291 yards last season despite missing training camp after reporting just a few days before the opener in Cleveland.

No Bell at all would seem to give the Browns an edge.

"He's a talented player," said defensive end Myles Garrett, who sat out last season's first game with a serious ankle sprain. "He's one of the best in the league at his position, so it definitely is an advantage to us. That's up to him."

Bell wasn't himself in last year's opener, rushing for just 32 yards on 10 carries and catching three passes for 15 yards. But because he's Le'Veon Bell, the Browns had to account for him on every play.

"He's a great player so he is always going to be a focal point," linebacker Christian Kirksey said. "I just think that we game-planned well. I think that (defensive coordinator) Gregg (Williams) had a good game plan for us to attack their offense. I just think that if it was him or any other running back, we were going to try to shut them down."

Pittsburgh will turn to second-year back James Conner to replace Bell and start. Conner, who survived a cancer scare while in college, had just 32 carries as a rookie. But the Browns been watching a lot of video on him and have been impressed.

"They are different," Jackson said, comparing Bell and Conner. "The other guy is a proven, top of the line Randall Cobb Jersey , one of the top players in the league. Not that James Conner is not that, he just has not done it to the level that Le'Veon has.

"For their offense, he knows how to play in their system. He is a good football player. He will make plays for them. We have to do everything that we can to shut down the run game, whether it is Le'Veon or whether it is James Conner. Just have to do our job on defense the best hat we can."

Of course, the Steelers still have future Hall of Fame quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and All-Pro receiver Antonio Brown to offset Bell's loss.

And while the Browns won't miss Bell, receiver Jarvis Landry did offer support for the back's financial plea.

"Pay the man," Landry said.

NOTES: Jackson will announce his starting tackle on Friday, but the Browns may have tipped their hand with a waiver claim. The team grabbed DL Anthony Zettel from the Lions and released backup center Aaron Neary. The move may signify that Austin Corbett, who has been starting at left guard, will now be the backup center with Joel Bitonio sliding back to guard and undrafted rookie Desmond Harrison starting at left tackle. … Zettel had 6陆 sacks last season in Detroit.