Pittsburgh Steelers GM Omar Khan showed on Wednesday afternoon that he’s not done tinkering with the 90-man offseason roster thanks to the reported addition of veteran receiver Scotty Miller. He shouldn’t stop there, either.
For Pro Football Focus and ESPN, Khan and the Steelers should make one more offseason addition to the roster, though the two media outlets differ on what that move should be.
For PFF, adding another receiver is the move the Steelers and Khan must make before training camp, while a cornerback should be in the cards, at least from ESPN’s vantage point.
Adding Miller was a bit of a surprise on Wednesday, but it was another example of the Steelers adding a player on the offensive side of the ball who is familiar with new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. Still, that move isn’t enough as the Steelers still have a glaring need for a veteran WR2 opposite George Pickens, allowing rookie Roman Wilson to slide to a more comfortable WR3 role in his first NFL season.
“The Steelers traded wide receiver Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers this offseason, and despite the additions of Van Jefferson and Scott Miller in free agency and Roman Wilson in the third round of the draft, their receiving corps is on track to lean heavily on George Pickens in 2024,” PFF’s Gordon McGuinness writes regarding the move the Steelers need to make. “Pickens has impressed in two NFL seasons, ranking 20th at the position with an average of 2.05 yards per route run in 2023. Still, the Steelers have been rumored to be a trade candidate for a veteran wideout.”
Losing Johnson was a big blow to the Steelers’ wide receiver room. They lost their best route runner and separator, their true X receiver. They haven’t filled the void either, even with the excitement surrounding Wilson, who was taken in the third round of the NFL Draft.
Pittsburgh seems to be going quantity over quality at the receiver position for now, which is rather surprising. Some combination of Van Jefferson, Quez Watkins, Miller and Calvin Austin III behind Pickens and Wilson isn’t going to get it done. The Steelers have been speculated about as a team that could swing big in the trade market this summer for a big-name receiver, but we’ll see if Khan wants to wade into those waters.
On paper, having that veteran experience of Jefferson, Watkins and Miller in the room seems fine. But on the field, none of those guys are going to concern defensive coordinators, making it very hard to take away double teams from Pickens on the outside. That could really cause the Steelers’ passing game to flounder.
But as things stand currently at receiver, it’s not good enough, especially on a team that aims to compete this season for a Super Bowl title.
As for ESPN, the move that the Steelers need to make is shoring up their cornerback room.
Pittsburgh added cornerback Donte Jackson from the Carolina Panthers in the swap for Johnson and drafted Texas defensive back Ryan Watts in the sixth round. But outside of those two, the depth is a major concern behind Joey Porter Jr.
Aaron Schatz believes the Steelers need to address the nickelback position.
“Cornerbacks Joey Porter Jr. and Donte Jackson will be the starters on the outside, but who will play in the slot for the Steelers this season? Darius Rush and Josiah Scott each were charted with just four targets in 2023,” Schatz writes. “Other options include sixth-round rookie Ryan Watts out of Texas and second-year cornerback Cory Trice Jr., a 2023 seventh-round pick out of Purdue who spent his rookie season on injured reserve.
“Perhaps the Steelers should consider a small contract to bring back a veteran ex-Steeler, such as Patrick Peterson or Ahkello Witherspoon.”
The Steelers, to be entirely fair, are very, very young at the cornerback position. Porter enters his second season, while Trice and Rush enter Year 2 as well, though Trice will be in his first full season after a torn ACL suffered in training camp.
Banking on those is very concerning though, so more depth is needed like Schatz points out. That could come in the form of a reunion with Peterson, whom the Steelers cut in March, or it could come in the form of a reunion with Cameron Sutton, should his legal situation be resolved.
Pittsburgh has rebuilt its cornerback room over the last few seasons, but depth is a real concern entering the 2024 season, so the Steelers could — and largely should — be focused on addressing the depth chart at the position this summer.
