The Pittsburgh Steelers did a great job plugging all the biggest holes on their roster ahead of the 2024 season during free agency and the draft, but many agree that they did not do enough at wide receiver. George Pickens has a chance to solidify himself as a top receiver in the league, but the lack of a WR2 across from him could bring unwanted attention Pickens’ way and make it more difficult for him to make an impact.
So, what exactly does the “average” NFL WR2 look like? I crunched the numbers via Stathead, and it is a pretty attainable goal.
– Average WR2 (2023): 668.3 receiving yards, 51.7 receptions, 81.5 targets, 4.2 touchdowns
That type of production would have been good for 17th in the league last season for a team’s second-most productive WR. For reference, Diontae Johnson had 717 receiving yards, 51 receptions, 87 targets, and five touchdowns last season – just slightly above the “average” WR2. He missed four games with injury, so in reality, he was quite a bit better than your average WR2.
Here’s a look at the WR2 for each of the teams that finished in either the top 10 for scoring or yards gained on offense last season:
| Team | WR2 | Yards | Receptions | Targets | Touchdowns |
| Miami Dolphins | Jaylen Waddle | 1014 | 72 | 104 | 4 |
| San Francisco 49ers | Deebo Samuel | 892 | 60 | 83 | 7 |
| Detroit Lions | Josh Reynolds | 608 | 40 | 64 | 5 |
| Buffalo Bills | Gabriel Davis | 746 | 45 | 81 | 7 |
| Dallas Cowboys | Brandin Cooks | 657 | 54 | 81 | 8 |
| Baltimore Ravens | Odell Beckham Jr. | 565 | 35 | 64 | 3 |
| Los Angeles Rams | Cooper Kupp | 737 | 59 | 95 | 5 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | DeVonta Smith | 1066 | 81 | 112 | 7 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | Justin Watson | 460 | 27 | 53 | 3 |
| Minnesota Vikings | Jordan Addison | 911 | 70 | 108 | 10 |
| New Orleans Saints | Rashid Shaheed | 719 | 46 | 75 | 5 |
| Cleveland Browns | Elijah Moore | 640 | 59 | 104 | 2 |
| Average WR2: | 751.3 | 54 | 85.3 | 5.5 |
Looking at just the top offenses in the league last season, their average No. 2 WRs didn’t outperform the NFL average by a very wide margin. The difference is just 83 yards, 2.3 receptions, 3.8 targets, and 1.3 touchdowns.
More interestingly, there were five teams with top offenses that had a WR2 below the “average” threshold I outlined earlier for receiving yards. The Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, and Cleveland Browns all had a WR2 below the “average” threshold.
So, how did these teams make up for the lack of what some might consider a true WR2? In a lot of cases, the tight ends played a big factor.
Four of those five teams finished the season with a tight end in the No. 1 or No. 2 spot in receiving yards for their team. The Baltimore Ravens are the only team that didn’t, and they definitely would have if Mark Andrews had been healthy for the whole season.
In fact, having a tight end finish the season with the most or second-most receiving yards is pretty common across the NFL. There are 14 teams where that was the case in 2023, including two teams that had a tight end as their top receiver.
| Team | TE | Yards | Receptions | Targets | Touchdowns |
| Arizona Cardinals | Trey McBride* | 825 | 81 | 106 | 3 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | Travis Kelce* | 984 | 93 | 121 | 5 |
| Atlanta Falcons | Kyle Pitts | 667 | 53 | 90 | 3 |
| Chicago Bears | Cole Kmet | 719 | 73 | 90 | 6 |
| Cleveland Browns | David Njoku | 882 | 81 | 123 | 6 |
| Dallas Cowboys | Jake Ferguson | 761 | 71 | 102 | 5 |
| Detroit Lions | Sam LaPorta | 889 | 86 | 120 | 10 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | Evan Engram | 963 | 114 | 143 | 4 |
| Minnesota Vikings | T.J. Hockenson | 960 | 95 | 127 | 5 |
| New England Patriots | Hunter Henry | 419 | 42 | 61 | 6 |
| New York Giants | Darren Waller | 552 | 52 | 74 | 1 |
| New York Jets | Tyler Conklin | 621 | 61 | 87 | 0 |
| San Francisco 49ers | George Kittle | 1020 | 65 | 90 | 6 |
| Tennessee Titans | Chigoziem Okonkwo | 528 | 54 | 77 | 1 |
*TE Led Team In Receiving Yards (2023)
Six of those teams (seven if you count the Ravens) appeared on that list of top offenses above. It is perfectly viable to have a tight end as the second-most productive receiver on the team.
Pat Freiermuth had the worst season of his career in 2023. A combination of injuries, an offensive system that didn’t utilize tight ends, and poor quarterback play hampered his production. Now he has a clean bill of health, a tight end-friendly offensive system under OC Arthur Smith, and an upgrade at quarterback with Russell Wilson.
If he stays healthy the whole year, he could be in line for the most productive season of his career. A stat line of 850 yards, 75 receptions, and seven touchdowns would put him right into the viable WR2 category, in line with some of the leading tight ends above. Reports out of spring practices were bullish on Freiermuth’s potential within the new offense.
If he can do that, there might not be a pressing need to add a significant playmaker at wide receiver opposite George Pickens. Guys like Roman Wilson, Calvin Austin III, Van Jefferson, Scotty Miller, or Quez Watkins could play a more niche role, and the offense could function just fine.
The Chiefs just won the Super Bowl, and their WR2 had 460 yards on the season.
The need for a No. 2 WR is present, but perhaps a bit overblown.
