What are the Steelers going to do with their open roster spot?
The Pittsburgh Steelers waived WR Denzel Mims yesterday, shortly after they wrapped up minicamp. The move opens up a roster spot, and people are wondering how the Steelers intend to fill it. The more adventurous and hopeful suggest that it is the prelude to a trade—for example for a starting wide receiver. Perhaps not Brandon Aiyuk in particular, but somebody who shores up the weakest starting spot.
This is not the most common time for teams to release players, though it does happen. Last year, for example, the Steelers released Scott Nelson around the same time without a corresponding move. They did not waive Mims with an injury designation, which is also notable.
Perhaps they simply felt they saw enough during OTAs and minicamp to make their evaluation on him. One thing the Steelers have is volume at the wide receiver position, so they can be discriminating here. Mims is the sort of player who looks good in shorts, as well, so that’s another indicator of his performance.
Perhaps we wake up today to find out that the Steelers have signed another punter. After all, their new punter, Cameron Johnston, is on the older side, so they’ll want to give his leg rest. But fans always love to speculate about an open roster spot, and, well, the Steelers have that opening in the starting lineup at wide receiver.
And it’s not like they haven’t given fans ammunition. Shortly before the draft, the Steelers restructured Alex Highsmith’s contract. While the move itself was normal, the timing was not. And we later learned of reports suggesting they nearly worked out a trade for a wide receiver. Now they have both the cap space and the roster spot to make something happen.
But don’t get your hopes up, at least not yet. Many analysts do believe they will trade for a starting wide receiver at some point, but it doesn’t have to be right now. The Steelers may have just felt it was time to move on from Denzel Mims. Occam’s Razor: sometimes the simplest explanation is the most likely.
The Steelers’ 2023 season has been put out of its misery, ending as so many have before in recent years: a disappointing, blowout playoff loss. The only change-up lately is when they miss the playoffs altogether. But with the Buffalo Bills stamping them out in the Wild Card Round, they have another long offseason ahead.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Does Russell Wilson make them a Super Bowl-caliber team, or are they wasting a year? Will he play just one season in Pittsburgh before moving on, or the Steelers moving on from him? How will the team address the depth chart?
The Steelers are past free agency and the draft and their roster for the 2024 season is coming into focus. They made numerous moves through signings and trade—and release. More than usual, they seemed comfortable creating holes, confident they can fill them. Now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, however, we merely have a new set of questions to ask.
