Do the Steelers sport the best wide receiver room in the NFL? Part 1 of 2
The offseason strikes again! (Sort of.)
With training camps underway around the league, and a real football game (okay, a “sort of real” football game) being played this week, the “best of” lists start to dwindle from speculation to reality. Several of those lists I’ve seen around the web compare the Steelers wide receivers to those of the other 31 teams in the NFL. “Who’s the best?” is often the subject. As Pittsburgh fans, we often surmise that the Steelers have the best wide receivers.
But do they have the best receiver group in the entire league?
That’s what I’m going to examine, but instead of laboring on the names you already know, let’s briefly discuss the Steelers depth chart. Antonio Brown is widely considered one of, if not the best receiver in the game today. Martavis Bryant is somewhat back from suspension and looks like he could compete with AB for the title of “greatest” after getting faster and stronger.
Then you have a logjam of experienced and talented receivers in their own right, such as Darrius Heyward-Bey, Justin Hunter, Sammie Coates, Cobi Hamilton, and Eli Rogers. Demarcus Ayers enters his second year and this year’s newest face, second round draft pick JuJu Smith-Schuster, has the hype to live up to be the next great at the position.
But is that enough to label the Steelers receiver room the best in all of football? I’ll examine everyone else’s pass catching groups by breaking them into three tiers: upper, lower, and middle.
And yes, you may safely assume the Steelers are in the top tier before proceeding… but will they turn out to be the top team? Let’s find out.
Lower Tier
There’s too much separation between Pittsburgh and the bottom ten teams in this study. Warning: there are some good receivers on these bottom ranked units, but the rest of the supporting cast isn’t strong enough to justify a higher ranking.
- Dallas Cowboys
- Buffalo Bills
- Carolina Panthers
- Houston Texans
- Chicago Bears
- Los Angeles Rams
- Cleveland Browns
- New York Jets
- Kansas City Chiefs
- San Francisco 49ers
I can sense some explosions going on in heads already: yes, Dez Bryant and his band of Cowboys sit atop the lower tier of receivers. Cole Beasley has proven to be an intriguing slot receiver, but Terrance Williams is inconsistent and Lucky Whitehead was shown the door. Ryan Switzer enters via the draft and could be a sleeper pick, but overall, the depth just isn’t here to break them into the next third.
A number of other big name receivers grace this group, such as Sammy Watkins and Deandre Hopkins; each has even less help around them once you get beyond WR1 and then WR2. Zay Jones is a solid first-year prospect with the Bills, but Will Fuller was too inconsistent and Braxton Miller isn’t quite a threat with the Texans yet either.
Chicago is hoping something sticks with undrafted third-year surprise Cameron Meredith. Kevin White still hasn’t shown us anything as a former first round pick, and the remaining blend of Kendall Wright, Markus Wheaton, and Victor Cruz isn’t very exciting either. Keep in mind, quarterback play isn’t discussed at all and this is purely a ranking based on the receiver groups. Tight ends are also left out.
With that said, the lowly Browns and Jets still inch above the Chiefs, who have Tyreek Hill as their top option going into 2017 after releasing Jeremy Maclin. Chris Conley and Albert Wilson are the next two players in succession.
This is a team that didn’t score a receiving touchdown in 2015! But somehow, the 49ers can “top” KC with Pierre Garcon, Jeremy Kerley, and Marquise Goodwin. I’m not even sure San Fran has a WR1 on this roster.
The Panthers could be closer, adding two collegiate athletes (Christian McCaffrey and Curtis Samuel) who also played halfback. Kelvin Benjamin has had a rocky career since being drafted in the first round. He still remains their top option.
Then there’s the Rams. That is all.
Middle Tier
- Baltimore Ravens
- Oakland Raiders
- Cincinnati Bengals
- Atlanta Falcons
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Seattle Seahawks
- Denver Broncos
- Detroit Lions
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Minnesota Vikings
This is where things get really interesting. Yes, the Ravens are a spot away from entering the top tier. It pains me to say that, but after careful examination, Jeremy Maclin’s addition to the team strengthens this unit rather than making them weaker. He could play as a WR1, making Mike Wallace a strong 1A candidate as the WR2. Breshad Perriman is yet another first round player in this article who hasn’t gotten out of the gates yet. If he plays, and he’s anything as expected, the Ravens could bust into the top spots.
But that’s a strong “if”.
Oakland will set the trend of teams with strong WR1s and solid WR2s in the middle group. Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree would probably rank higher if this were based on duos, but behind them are Seth Roberts and Cordarrelle Patterson. Patterson flashed in Minnesota; if he pans out here, this group ascends as well.
Cincinnati… what do we do with the Bengals?
Well, we say how they were impacted following the loss of Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu a year earlier: John Ross joins A.J. Green, but it’s not the speedster, rather the depth options of Brandon LaFell and Tyler Boyd, who bump this unit in above average territory. All four should be considered Top 100 receivers.
Speaking of Sanu, the Julio Jones led Falcons arrive next on the list. Jones could be considered the only threat to Antonio Brown’s supremacy as the NFL’s best receiver, but Sanu and former Cleveland Brown Taylor Gabriel are near the bottom of the pack. Justin Hardy and Andre Roberts behind them?
Pass…
What? You don’t like DeSean Jackson going to Tampa Bay?
That’s not the issue. Like Atlanta, the Bucs have a good one in Mike Evans. Jackson will help him as a WR2, but when you dig into the 3’s, Chris Godwin, Adam Humphries, and Josh Huff don’t cut the mustard. In fact, if Allen Robinson were more consistent, the Jags could be ranked higher. A-Rob had the same 151 targets from a year earlier but caught seven less of those passes for over 500 yards less in 2016. Marqise Lee and Allen Hurns have potential and rookie Dede Westbrook could make some noise. Arrelious Benn is still on this roster, though I don’t think it makes a difference.
The Seahawks were tough to figure out. Doug Baldwin is an enigma as are Tyler Lockett, Paul Richardson, Jermaine Kearse, and rookie Amara Darboh. I’m not sure who stands out, but they’ve done better than Dallas’ unit: likely the biggest argument thus far to place a bottom tier team higher. Still, Kearse and Lockett were roaming in Dez Bryant range (50 catches to 41 each).
Denver’s receivers took a hit with bad quarterback play last season. I know that’s not supposed to be a determining factor, but look beyond Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders, and you’ll see the cupboard bare. Third round pick Carlos Henderson could be the fix. “Could”. Detroit has Marvin Jones and Golden Tate. Jones had problems catching the football and was outplayed by Anquan Boldin and TE Eric Ebron. Boldin’s no longer there, but rookie Kenny Golladay could surprise. Too many questions here for a higher ranking, however.
Same goes for the Eagles. They could have four top 100 receivers on this list too: Alshon Jeffery, Jordan Matthews, Torrey Smith, and Nelson Agholor. But which version of these players shows up in 2017? Does Agholor even make the team?
The last of this group is iffy too: the Vikings quartet of Stefon Diggs, Adam Thielen, Michael Floyd and Laquon Treadwell. What do you do with them? Diggs has shown Antonio Brown-like tendencies, Theilen broke out as a threat and if Michael Floyd could get on the field, this could be a top-tier trio of receivers. Treadwell was a first round pick from one year ago but only caught a single pass in 2016.
I have to think there’s more to him than that?
Conclusion
And thus the tough part of doing rankings such as these. Do the Texans or Cowboys deserve to be ranked ahead of the Eagles or Vikings? Should that be based on one player or head-to-head?
I’d take Torrey Smith and Michael Floyd over Terrance Williams. Cole Beasley was technically the WR1 in terms of catches and targets in Big D last season, but Dez is the one with the matching contract. Truly TE Jason Witten and RB Ezekiel Elliott play their role in taking some of the spotlight off of their fellow receivers. Thus, teams with worse rushing games, like Minnesota, could be perceived to have “better” receivers.
Where do the Steelers factor into this ranking?
Since there’s an awful lot more to say about the top 11 teams in this study, I decided to split it in two. The Steelers and ten other teams will grace the next set of receivers showcased, but if I haven’t teased enough already, they might be in for some tough competition in saying they have the best position group in the NFL!
