All week, the big question surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers was whether they would land WR Brandon Aiyuk from the San Francisco 49ers. While things seem to have settled down on that front with Aiyuk and the 49ers reportedly looking to return to the negotiating table, that leaves Pittsburgh’s receiving situation in a bit of flux. But former Steelers DL and current analyst Chris Hoke liked what he saw out of Van Jefferson in Pittsburgh’s 20-12 preseason loss to the Texans and thinks the Steelers will be just fine even if they don’t get Aiyuk.
“Omar Khan has made very few if any mistakes as GM. He’s not going to overpay for Aiyuk, and I was really encouraged by what I saw tonight. George Pickens looked really good in his first preseason game. I look at Van Jefferson and I liked what he did. He can be a big-time addition and a positive for this offense,” Hoke said on KDKA Nightly Sports Call after Pittsburgh’s preseason opener.
Jefferson had just one grab for 20 yards, although he should’ve had another reception that was ruled incomplete and Pittsburgh’s didn’t challenge. It’s hard to put too much meaning into preseason stats, but Jefferson at least looked like he was getting open and making himself available for the quarterback, which is a positive.
It’s probably not ideal going into the season relying on Jefferson as the No. 2 receiver, but it really wouldn’t be all that shocking if he winded up surprising. During his second year in the league, Jefferson had 50 receptions for 802 yards, and he has familiarity with Arthur Smith, spending time with him in Atlanta last season. If Jefferson does enter the year as the No. 2, there are going to be opportunities for him, and he could wind up being a much better pickup than initially anticipated.
There’s still plenty of time for Week 1 for the WR2 battle to sort itself out, but Jefferson would likely be the favorite right now. His performance throughout the rest of training camp and the preseason will be important, but it would be nice to see Jefferson become a big-time addition for Pittsburgh like Hoke believes he can. George Pickens and Pat Freiermuth are likely going to lead the team in targets, but Jefferson could settle into a bigger role than he’s had in years.
The Aiyuk saga won’t be over until we get definitive news about where he’ll be playing in 2024, but it doesn’t seem as likely that he’ll be a Steeler as it did a few days ago. That means that the group Pittsburgh currently has could wind up being the group it brings into Week 1, so it’s important to consider Jefferson as a potentially key piece, and hopefully he can wind up being one.
