Entering the 2013 season, the Steelers had a lot of uncertainty at the WR position. Did the team make the right move in securing a long term contract with Antonio Brown over Mike Wallace? How would Wallace’s departure affect the passing game? Would they bring back Emmanuel Sanders? Does Plaxico Burress have another year left in him?

Seemingly, many questions are left open heading into the 2014 training camp. Here is a quick look at the 2013 numbers for receivers:

Player	REC	TAR	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	20+	FUM	FUML	YAC	1DN
Antonio Brown	110	165	1499	13.6	8	56	23	0	0	602	69
Emmanuel Sanders	67	112	740	11.0	6	55	12	1	0	303	37
Jerricho Cotchery	46	76	602	13.1	10	36	9	0	0	232	36
Heath Miller	58	78	593	10.2	1	31	8	1	1	243	30
Le’Veon Bell	45	66	399	8.9	0	43	5	0	0	424	13
David Paulson	6	10	102	17.0	0	34	2	1	1	35	3
David Johnson	4	6	70	17.5	0	32	1	0	0	35	3
Jonathan Dwyer	8	11	64	8.0	0	23	1	0	0	55	3
Markus Wheaton	6	13	64	10.7	0	21	1	0	0	39	5
Felix Jones	9	13	63	7.0	0	15	0	0	0	49	2
Will Johnson	8	11	41	5.1	1	9	0	0	0	42	2
Derek Moye	2	6	20	10.0	1	19	0	0	0	1	2
Isaac Redman	4	5	14	3.5	0	7	0	0	0	10	1
LaRod Stephens-Howling	2	3	11	5.5	0	7	0	0	0	12	0
Matt Spaeth	1	2	11	11.0	1	11	0	0	0	0	1
Michael Palmer	1	1	8	8.0	0	8	0	0	0	7	0

Heading into 2014, we do have several answers…

Antonio Brown

Brown quickly made Steeler fans forget the name Mike Wallace. Brown had a Pro Bowl season with 110 catches and was one yard short of reaching 1,500 in receiving. He also became the first player in NFL history to record a catch in every game of the regular season.

Brown is also a dynamic punt returner, and nearly saved the day with last second heroics against the Miami Dolphins, stepping an inch out of bounds on the game’s last play. It will be intriguing to see if the team continues to use their top receiver on special teams, a position where he could risk injury.

Lance Moore

Moore comes to the Steel City via The Big Easy, where he was previously a member of the New Orleans Saints pass happy attack, lead by Drew Brees. Moore is expected to takeover Jericho Cotchery’s slot position, which netted the latter 46 catches and 10 touchdowns last season. Here is a comparison of Moore’s last four seasons, as he struggled with injuries in 2013, missing 3 games (and subsequently losing his job to rookie Kenny Stills.)

SEASON	GP	REC	TGTS	YDS	AVG	LNG	TD	FD	FUM	LST
2010	16	66	95	763	11.6	80	8	40	1	1
2011	14	52	73	627	12.1	47	8	35	0	0
2012	15	65	105	1,041	16.0	51	6	55	0	0
2013	13	37	54	457	12.4	44	2	26	0	0

If Moore returns to form, he should easily equal, if not surpass, Cotchery’s numbers, and give Ben Roethlisberger another security blanket on crucial downs.

Heath Miller

Another consistent cog in the machine, Miller enters his 10th NFL season. A veteran and leader on the team, Miller’s status with the team was uncertain in 2014, after suffering an ACL and MCL tear in his knee to end his 2013 season. As a result, Miller’s targets dropped last season, but with the cobwebs knocked off and a full off-season to workout with the team, look for #83 to bounce back to his 2012 Pro Bowl form.

Matt Spaeth, David Paulson and 2014 7th round pick Rob Blanchflower are the remaining TE’s. Spaeth and Paulson combined for 7 grabs and 1 TD in 2013.

Wide Receiver 2

The biggest question mark on the team may also help to be their greatest strength. A number of players are vying for the final WR slots on the roster, with the biggest opportunity being that of departed Emmanuel Sanders’ WR2 position. The leading candidate to start opposite of Antonio Brown is last year’s 3rd round draft choice, Markus Wheaton.

Wheaton saw limited time on the field in 2013, plagued by two injuries (one after the other) that kept him sidelined. Regardless, the Steelers have enough faith in the speedster to give him a look at the starting job.

Lying in wait are this year’s 4th round selection Martavis Bryant and free agent signing Darrius Heyward-Bey.

At Clemson, Bryant played opposite the top receiver selected in the draft, Sammy Watkins, and is considered by many to be a sleeper pick. He also brings his large 6’4″ 200lbs. frame to Pittsburgh, potentially giving Big Ben his first tall target in years.

Heyward-Bey is a former first round pick of the Oakland Raiders and another burner, recording a 4.3 40 yard dash in the 2009 NFL Combine.

Whether either of these players surpasses Wheaton is apparently up to #11 and his ability to learn the playbook and stay on the field. If not, look for veteran Heyward-Bey to get reps, working Bryant into the system gently.

The other camp bodies, Derek Moye and Justin Brown, both made the roster last year. Moye saw a number of snaps in 4 and 5 WR sets, while Brown was a practice team player.

Overall, even with the loss of Sanders and Cotchery, the Steelers may improve at the receiver position in 2014, especially if Wheaton, DHB or Bryant can takeover immediately for Sanders. The largest concern, however, will be at the TE position, where outside of Heath Miller, the Steelers have no proven pass catcher at a position that is revolutionizing NFL passing attacks.