The Pittsburgh Steelers went into the 2024 NFL Draft having a glaring hole at wide receiver after trading Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers and cutting Allen Robinson II this offseason, leaving them with George Pickens as the only player with any notable production in the room. They still had Calvin Austin III, who has yet to seize a larger role in the offense as well as free agent signeees Quez Watkins and Van Jefferson, but more reinforcements were needed to strengthen the receiver corps.
Pittsburgh managed to land Michigan WR Roman Wilson in the third round of the draft a couple weeks ago, but he profiles as more of a slot receiver given his size. That makes his fit as a Day 1 starter on the outside opposite of Pickens a bit of a projection. Speaking with Christopher Carter Wednesday morning, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo said the Steelers may not be inclined to explore other outside wide receivers options in free agency or via trade market until they have a good grasp of what they have in-house.
“Let’s see what Quez Watkins and Van Jefferson can do,” Fittapaldo said on the North Shore Drive Podcast, which aired on the Post Gazette Sports’ YouTube channel. “Let’s see what Calvin Austin can do, and if they come up short this spring and they’re not doing well in training camp, then you make a move in early-to-mid August, so you still have a month or so to fold that guy into the offense.”
The Steelers have a history of testing out their in-house options during OTAs and minicamp and even in the beginning stages of training camp before exploring outside options. The team signed OLB Markus Golden on May 24 last year after seeing that it needed to add another veteran edge rusher to complement T.J. Watt and Alex Highsmith as well as allow rookie OLB Nick Herbig to come along slowly. Going down the trade route, the Steelers acquired ILB Joe Schobert in training camp of 2021. After seeing that their inside linebacker room was sorely missing another capable starter in preseason play, they tradded a 2022 sixth-round pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars to get another starter to play alongside ILB Devin Bush.
“To me, being patient right now is the right move,” Fittipaldo said. “You don’t want to overpay for a guy that might not have a big role on your offense.”
Given the names on the free agent market, Pittsburgh can afford the luxury of being patient and testing out the guys it currently has before going shopping for an outside name. Jefferson has played at a WR2 level for the Los Angeles Rams before getting traded to the Atlanta Falcons last season. Watkins can be useful as a deep threat with his speed, and Pittsburgh still has yet to see what Wilson can do as an inside/outside receiver. They also have Austin, who needs to step up in a pivotal Year 3 for him as well. They also have Dez Fitzpatrick and Denzel Mims, both former draft picks with upside to step into contributing roles.
The Steelers may not have landed Tyler Boyd, who signed with the Tennessee Titans, but they have several intriguing options already on the roster and may want to know what they have with that group before resorting to looking for outside options. That way they can avoid overpaying for a pass catcher past his prime as well as let the veteran options sit out there a little longer, likely driving down their asking price as the season approaches.
