The Steelers are now in their offseason after failing to reach the playoffs in 2022, coming up just a game short of sneaking in as the seventh seed. They needed help in week 18 and only got some of it, so instead they sat home and watched the playoffs with the rest of us.
On tap is figuring out how to be on the field in January and February instead of being a spectator. They started out 2-6, digging a hole that proved too deep to dig out of even if they managed to go 7-2 in the second half of the year.
Starting from the end of the regular season and leading all the way up to the beginning of the 2023 season, there are plenty of questions that need answered, starting with who will be the offensive coordinator. Which free agents will be kept? Who might be let go due to their salary? How might they tackle free agency with this new front office? We’ll try to frame the conversation in relevant ways as long as you stick with us throughout this offseason, as we have for many years.
Question: How secure is Miles Boykin’s roster spot?
The Pittsburgh Steelers know beyond a shadow of a doubt who their top three receivers are this year, at least to start off the season. Diontae Johnson, George Pickens, and Allen Robinson II are going to be the guys on the field. There is a strong consensus that Calvin Austin III should safely make the team and even have an offensive role as well.
Things get less concrete after that point, but what about Miles Boykin? It’s not quite accurate to say he’s the only one wide receiver returning from last season’s 53-man roster, because that would also include Gunner Olszewski. But he is the only other one who didn’t get benched.
But what is the security of his roster spot? After all, he primarily only holds special teams value. Yes, there typically is a special teamer at wide receiver on the 53-man roster, but is his spot in the pecking order already etched in stone?
He’ll nominally have to earn his roster spot, naturally. The question is how much he has to earn. There would be up to two roster spots available, and he’s not the only special teams-capable player in the group. If the Steelers don’t believe in his offensive upside anymore, then he is open for competition strictly for special teams.
That’s where someone like Dan Chisena could step in. Of course if Olszewski were to earn the return man job, he would secure a roster spot. A lot of fans would like to see Hakeem Butler emerge from the pack. You’d like to think he has offensive upside, but really, that’s a tough sell under the circumstances of his career, which is less notable than Boykin’s.
