Can the Steelers get by with the wide receivers they have?
Welcome to my weekly edition of “Overreactions from Steelers Nation” a weekly column where I poke fun at fans, reporters, and so-called experts while trying to figure out if some of these hot takes are real – or just for attention.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been consistently linked to signing or trading for a big-name wide receiver since the start of the 2024 league year. However, GM Omar Khan has yet to pull the trigger on any major acquisitions, instead opting to add several veterans and journeymen to the roster.
On a recent SCU Podcast, Zac Celedonia and I discussed whether the Steelers could stand pat at the position, or if an upgrade was necessary. Here’s a collection of my thoughts from that episode.
The case for George Pickens
If the Steelers believe that George Pickens is ready to make the leap to being the team’s primary receiver in 2024 it may behoove them to not add any other major names to their depth chart.
Pickens excelled last season despite poor player from the quarterback position throughout. In his sophomore showing, the former Georgia Bulldog produced 1,140 yards on 63 catches and five touchdowns. Along with his 18.1 yards per reception, all of those categories led the team last season.
Adding another body could chip away at Pickens’ totals, though another train of thought is “how?” The team hasn’t had two 1,000-yard receivers in the same season since 2018, when Antonio Brown (1,297) and JuJu Smith-Schuster (1,426) were catching balls from Ben Roethlisberger.
If Russell Wilson or Justin Fields emerge as a better option to Kenny Pickett, Mitchell Trubisky, and Mason Rudolph last year, then the Steelers could return to the days of having multiple receiving threats clear the 1,000-yard mark, especially in a 17-game season. Pickens had five games with over 100 yards receiving in 2023, two of those with Rudolph under center near the end of the season.
However, that may have opened the teams’ eyes into seeing they should hitch their saddles to Pickens as the top dog on the Steelers offense. If that’s the case, then there needs to be a strong second option behind him.
The case for Calvin Austin
The current wide receiver room reminds me a lot of the 2012 and 2013 Pittsburgh Steelers. Mike Wallace entered a contract year in 2012, sitting out training camp while his counterpart Antonio Brown received a five-year extension. At the time, Brown paired with Wallace as a 1,000-yard receiving tandem, but the 2012 season was a letdown. Brown would miss three games, gaining only 787 yards while Wallace’s totals dipped to 836 on his way out of the door.
The team stood firm with Brown and a largely unknown Emmanuel Sanders who saw limited action in previous seasons, despite being drafted the same year as AB. The team only added one veteran, Jerricho Cotchery, to a group that also included Markus Wheaton.
Brown would bounce back in 2013 with 1,499 yards and a Pro Bowl year, while Sanders was second on the team with 740: a career-high for the latter at this stage of his career. It would be the last season in Pittsburgh for Sanders, who blossomed in his next three years with the Denver Broncos and QB Peyton Manning.
Could we be witnessing a similar downplay of talent with Calvin Austin? Possibly.
Austin, who ran a 4.32 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine in 2022, was the Steelers fourth-round draft pick that season. He was the second receiver chosen after the team selected Pickens two rounds prior. Unfortunately, Austin’s rookie season was cut short and he never saw a regular season snap following an injury in training camp.
He returned last season to play in every game, catching 17 passes for 180 yards and a touchdown. He added one more score on the ground, but it was tough to evaluate the second-year player in Matt Canada‘s poor offensive scheme, as well as the aforementioned lack of quarterback production.
There’s a chance that Austin could be ready to burst onto the scene in Arthur Smith‘s system – one that may focus on more tight ends and backs than having multiple receiver sets on the field. If that’s the case, Austin could see opportunities as an experienced WR2. But if the smaller statured speedster can’t block, he may lead the way to others getting more playing time. Regardless, his speed is tough to cover with Pickens on the opposite side.
Waiting for Wilson to be ready
The Steelers third-round pick in this year’s NFL Draft, Wilson comes from a run-heavy University of Michigan offense that won the National Championship this season. A willing and effective blocker, he’s also a speedy pass catching threat with a 4.39 40 time.
Putting Austin and Wilson on the field at the same time could cause headaches for opposing defensive coordinators, when considering Pickens will also be out there.
How early Wilson is ready to play will be up to him. The opportunity certainly exists with Austin’s previous lack of production and the need for someone to draw attention away from Pickens. The team also did not re-sign run blocking WR Myles Boykin this offseason.
Combine Pickens’ public disdain for run blocking (he whiffed and didn’t “want injured” blocking for Jaylen Warren last season) and Wilson could very well end up with more snaps. He only needs to show that he can do more than the other veterans on the team.
Everyone Else
The Steelers have a glut of run-of-the-mill receivers behind Pickens, Austin, and Wilson. That statement may even be trimmed down to “behind Pickens”, but for the benefit of the doubt, we don’t fully know who Austin and Wilson are yet.
We do know who Van Jefferson, Scotty Miller, Denzel Mims, Quez Watkins, and Marquez Callaway are: journeymen who haven’t struck big with their previous teams.
These players could be good in a pinch while the younger players learn the ropes. However, I don’t expect more than one or two the above names to make the final 53-man roster.
Overlooking tight ends?
Quick: name the top receiver on the Kansas City Chiefs. If you said Travis Kelce, then you just named a tight end: a position the Steelers appear to be deep at heading into training camp.
With TE Pat Freiermuth on the verge of a breakout season too, we may be overlooking the importance of the position in Smith’s system. If Freiermuth can ascend to WR2-like numbers, then we will all forget anyone else not named George Pickens.
Freiermuth can also take the burden off of the other receivers need to produce. He was a security blanket, when healthy, which is the key factor.
Darnell Washington, a huge blocking tight end with pass catching potential, could also be a factor. Free agent addition MyCole Pruitt is a chain mover and good for a few redzone targets in each season he plays, which only helps boost the offense as a whole. (And don’t forget about the bowling ball hybrid Connor Heyward, who can also be a wrinkle for the Steelers offense.)
The case for making a trade
The worst case scenario the Steelers must prepare for here is if Pickens doesn’t live up to his potential, Freiermuth doesn’t stay on the field, and the other receivers are a distant threat in games.
That would leave the team with little to no passing attack, which bottles up their hope to churn out a rushing attack behind a revamped offensive line.
Omar Khan hasn’t shown a propensity as to not prepare for these scenarios – and has been all but open to showing he will trade to improve the team in any way he can.
Future salary cap implications
The only thing that stands in the way of a trade is any impact on the Steelers salary cap going forward. The leading trade candidate in social circles, 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk, is seeking a top contract rumored between $25-30 million per year.
This would hinder the Steelers from re-signing players such as Cameron Heyward, Najee Harris, or Pat Freiermuth who become free agents next season, or extending the contracts of George Pickens or Jaylen Warren beyond 2025. Also keep in mind that the Steelers top two quarterbacks, Wilson and Fields, are both signed to rock bottom one-year deals that expire following the 2024 season.
A major receiver contract could hurt the team financially. That’s why an older option, if available, would be a better fit. Seahawks WR D.K. Metcalf or Broncos WR Courtland Sutton each come with two years left on their current deals, which also have far less money attached. By the time those contracts expire, those two players may be heading toward retirement, while their dollar amounts a stricken from the books.
This would provide Pittsburgh with the best of both words: Pro Bowl level talents with affordable contracts that allow them to continue to work the free agency wire.
Stay tuned as the receiver rumors continue to ramp up, but if you ask me, the safe bet would be on one of these two landing with the Steelers as each of their current teams have a bottleneck of talent at the position and could be ready for some cap relief themselves.
