The Pittsburgh Steelers have made a handful of moves throughout the first two weeks of the new league year, and most of those moves have filled a hole on the roster. One move was a give and take, however, with WR Diontae Johnson being shipped to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for CB Donte Jackson. It addressed the urgency to acquire an outside corner opposite Joey Porter Jr., but it created a big need opposite WR George Pickens. The Steelers receiving corps has been added to but with lower-level rotational guys like Quez Watkins and Van Jefferson. They still need a true no. 2.
Omar Khan spoke to members of the media in Orlando at the annual NFL owners meetings and addressed the state of the Steelers WR room.
“[Coaches will] adjust to things based on who the receivers are, but it’s safe to say we’re going to continue to add to that room,” Kahn said, according to TribLive’s Joe Rutter on X.
The hot topic of the last week was trade rumors surrounding San Francisco 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk. Those can probably be safely put to rest after GM John Lynch addressed the rumors, saying there have been no trade talks about him. He even specifically addressed the level of buzz in the Pittsburgh media about the topic.
There have also been talks about longtime Cincinnati Bengals WR Tyler Boyd, who is native to the Pittsburgh area. There was reported mutual interest back during the first week of free agency, but other reports have since indicated that not everyone in the organization is on board with adding him, likely due to his asking price.
There are a few other names out there in the free agent market, but more than likely the Steelers will look to the 2024 NFL Draft to round out their group. It is one of the deepest receiving classes in recent memory with 12 appearing on Daniel Jeremiah’s latest top-50 list alone. There are several more just outside that top-50 range, too.
Mike Tomlin has also spoken to the media in Orlando and stated that he believes there are many WRs who can come in and contribute immediately. The team has shown interest in many of the top names with pre-draft visits, pro day meetings, Senior Bowl meetings, and formal meetings at the NFL Scouting Combine. Especially with Watkins and Jefferson added, it seems inevitable that the final piece of the Steelers’ WR room will come on Day 2 of the draft.
