Do the Steelers sport the best wide receiver room in the NFL? Part 2 of 2
Yesterday I began a long journey to research an answer to this question: Do the Steelers sport the best wide receiver room in the NFL? (Read the first part of this series here.)
After writing about the teams placed in the middle and bottom groups, news has already broke about various injuries to players already covered yesterday (Houston Texans WR Will Fuller, who is out indefinitely) and some who will be covered today (New York Giants WR Sterling Shepherd, who has an undetermined injury).
Since injuries in camp are common, and not all players pulled off the field are considered to have serious threats to their playing status headed into the season, I will proceed with the study as intended, and assume all players will be ready for the regular season. Getting into “what if” situations is already a given when doing this line of work, so I’ll try to not further muddy the waters!
In the second half of the receiver room breakdowns, I’ll delve into whom I feel are the top eleven units in the NFL. I know eleven is a strange number, but 32 teams can’t be broken into even thirds. Plus, I felt that one of these receiver groups was strong enough to go an extra spot beyond a “top ten” list. However, we’ll get into a little more bonus material today, because the final eleven teams will be split into two.
While they are all “top tier” teams, there’s a clear hierarchy within this level as well.
The bottom of the top
Of the eleven teams I’ll list here, I consider five to be at the lower end of the “best” spectrum:
- Miami Dolphins
- Indianapolis Colts
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Arizona Cardinals
- Tennessee Titans
Starting from the bottom, the Titans added some fire power this offseason by signing Eric Decker (formerly of the New York Jets) and making Corey Davis the first receiver taken in this year’s draft. They join Rishard Matthews, Taywan Taylor, and Tajae Sharpe for a group of five receivers who can all figure to be top 100 players at their position. This gets Tennessee into the dance, but none of their pass catchers can be considered top ten, twenty or even thirty receivers. That drops them to the bottom of the “top”.
The Arizona Cardinals always land in the top conversations when discussing receivers due to the long, productive career of Larry Fitzgerald. John Brown and Jaron Brown flashed at times throughout 2016. J.J Nelson is another formidable threat and the franchise drafted FCS standout Chad Williams in the third round. Williams caught 90 passes for 1,337 yards and 11 touchdowns despite being suspended for a game during his 2016 college season.
The Chargers nearly have five top 100 wideouts as well, led by Keenan Allen and supplemented by top draft pick Mike Williams from Clemson. Williams could be injured to start, but again, I’m not trying to make medical assumptions on final regular season stats.
There’s a lot of time between now and then.
Mix Tyrell Williams, Travis Benjamin, and Dontrelle Inman all compliment Philip Rivers‘ passing attack to complete the quintet.
Have we ever known the Indianapolis Colts to not have a set of solid receivers? T.Y. Hilton, Donte Moncrief, and Phillip Dorsett receive former Ravens part-time starter, Kamar Aiken, via free agency, and are set on Chester Rogers competing as their number three guy. Hilton and Moncrief skew the Colts higher up the list, but not enough to break through into the top five.
The Miami Dolphins have an incredible trio of receivers too. Jarvis Landry, Devante Parker, and Kenny Stills are a handful to cover. Landry is a do-it-all player who is one of the best in the game. Stills is a deep threat and Parker, when healthy, has to be respected. Leonte Carroo filled in when Parker was sidelined and Isaiah Ford was drafted for depth.
It’s a close call, but the Dolphins appear to have the most imminent threat of receivers who will see the field, along with the depth to backup their starters if necessary. LA was given close consideration, but it’s hard to give a nod to a rookie who has never seen NFL action (Mike Williams) over proven talents.
The next three
We’re down to the final six teams, and I’m sure this is the portion of the rankings where heads start to roll!
- New England Patriots
- New Orleans Saints
- Washington Redskins
This was a very tight race here, as these three clubs are all clearly above the bottom-top tier, but are also distant from the final three at the very top of the list.
The New England Patriots added Brandin Cooks to pair with Julian Edelman. I’m not sold on Malcolm Mitchell but he can still be considered a top 100 receiver, while Steelers fans are all too familiar with the damage Chris Hogan has done with Tom Brady as his quarterback. Danny Amendola is still on the roster but has seen a steady decline in his stats, and playing time, since joining the team. He’s always battled injuries and even adjusted his contract to stay in the good graces of Bill Belichick. That’s paid off with big plays in clutch moments.
It’s more than enough to warrant the Patriots as the fourth-best receiver unit, but I’m sure eyebrows will really raise with the six-best: the Washington Redskins.
In my opinion, the trio of Terrelle Pryor, Jamison Crowder, and Josh Doctson are nearly top 50 receivers, with Pryor and Crowder approaching top 25. It sounds like crazy talk, but the team passed on keeping Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson. I can almost rationalize with that thought. Pryor is going to make the Browns look foolish for not keeping him, while Crowder has shown his value and Doctson is a year removed from being a draft darling.
The talent is there, but will it be the best?
Putting the New Orleans Saints as the second unit of this group was a challenge. I had to keep beating my head against the wall on this one, and I’m still not sure I believe it myself. Each of the individuals here could have huge years, or completely flop. Michael Thomas had a heck of a rookie year, while Willie Snead and Ted Ginn should help keep the pass happy New Orleans offense moving forward. It’s really those opportunities that help the Saints inch into the top-middle tier. They’re not better than the Patriots, but they are better than the Redskins in the same breath. I think we can also agree that Thomas, Snead, and Ginn outgun whoever is in the bottom-top tier too, even if the rest of their roster rounds out with names like Brandon Coleman, Corey Fuller, and Tommylee Lewis.
The top three
Here’s the “best of the best” according to my research and personal observation. I’ve probably surprised most Steelers fans already by not being a homer and placing Pittsburgh at the very top, but it was a difficult decision.
- Green Bay Packers
- New York Giants
- Pittsburgh Steelers
Now for the moment, we’ve all been waiting for: number three to be exact, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Why Joe, why third? Why not higher?
I won’t argue that question either, but when doing this analysis, I had to go back to the AFC Championship game and ask if the receivers in that game could be considered the best in the league Antonio Brown, Eli Rogers, and Cobi Hamilton are back this year, and if they were the three to consider, this unit would be ranked much lower. AB obviously gets them trending higher, but it’s the reinstatement of Martavis Bryant that pushes them over the top. Brown can be considered the top receiver in the game and Bryant is easily in the top 25, if not top ten, conversation.
After that, it gets difficult. There are legitimately eight players who could start for this offense, but eight players won’t make the team. How do you mix and match the remaining three or four spots on the depth chart? Eli Rogers should make it, and second-round pick JuJu Smith-Schuster can also make his case in the top 100 receivers in the league.
That’s four top 100 players, with four others possibly competing for the final one or two roster spots: Sammie Coates, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Justin Hunter, and Cobi Hamilton. All have been inconsistent and awesome during spells of their careers. It’s which player do you receive on a given day: dropped-pass Coates and DHB? A player who never panned out? (Hunter.) Or the journeyman pulled from the practice squad?
That’s not an indictment on anyone’s talent, and all of the receivers mentioned could see significant snaps with any team. But is it enough to push them past the final two teams at the very top of this ranking?
The Giants were a tough pill to swallow. I don’t believe Odell Beckham Jr. is better than Antonio Brown, but at the same time, adding Brandon Marshall to the mix is like having two WR1s on the squad. Unlike Martavis Bryant, we know Marshall as a dependable player no matter where he’s played throughout his career. Bryant has been out of football for over a full year, so it’s possible the Steelers are still better than the Giants with their top two when it’s said and done. Beckham and Marshall can both be top 10 receivers.
In the slot, second-year receiver Sterling Shepard is a heck of a find for New York. He also flirts as a top 50 player too and is a better slot receiver than Eli Rogers. Roger Lewis Jr. beat Victor Cruz for his job before the end of 2016, and this year Cruz was sent packing. We can debate on him versus a Cobi Hamilton or JuJu at this point. Ditto for Dwayne Harris, who is barely a receiver, but is a Pro Bowl returner.
Yes, it’s a wide receiver unit ranking, but, your returners are mostly receivers and defensive backs. Therefore special teams factors into the depth chart and Harris is head and shoulders above anyone the Steelers have tried to put in to replace AB.
The very best unit is a hard sell too, and it once again comes down to who you’re willing to compare as the Steelers WR3 more than the remaining depth. If we had a year or two of film on JuJu, there could be an argument here. However, the Packers set of Jordy Nelson, Davante Adams, and Randall Cobb can all stake a claim in the top 50 receivers, and also as Pro Bowl caliber players.
Nelson is the Packers version of Antonio Brown: a consistent, stats producing player. Adams is a major threat and Cobb is up and down but has a history of being an outstanding pass catcher.
Geronimo Allison came on late last year, DeAngelo Yancey is a 2017 fifth-round pick, and Jeff Janis a reliable veteran hand.
Conclusion
I wanted to desperately find a way to fit the Steelers into the top spot. I know I mentioned injuries as being off of the table, but the “conditional” reinstatement of Martavis Bryant is still a very real reason to keep the Steelers from being first overall.
Eli Rogers could be a sleeper player this season, but based on one season, it’s hard to justify him over his peers as well. The Giants Sterling Shepherd was hurt in camp, but it’s still too early to tell if that will impact the regular season game plan. As it stands, both the Packers and Giants trios nudge ahead of the Steelers, and the remaining depth on Pittsburgh’s current roster is more a case of having a handful of players who are in the same mold of one another than having a backup who could light the world on fire.
Then again, how many fourth and fifth receivers on any NFL roster can light up a scoreboard? Maybe that should be a consideration in the near future, as to whether the Steelers have the best trio of receivers in the league. However, I still think they would be hard-pressed to beat out the two teams I put ahead of them in this ranking.
