Hello, Van Jefferson. Apparently, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ initial plan for the second wide receiver has been the right one all along. Well, perhaps calling it “right” is a little too strong, but it’s the one that’s taking shape.
After the Steelers traded Diontae Johnson away, they opened a gaping hole in their wide receiver room. While they still had free agency, the draft, and trade, they didn’t make any true “splash”. Reportedly, they did try to make a big trade during the draft, but it fell through. They drafted Roman Wilson in the third round, who is missing time due to injury.
But Van Jefferson is the first free agent they signed, and he has the strongest resume. A former second-round pick, he did have one successful season with the Rams. Injuries and other circumstances have not helped his situation the past couple of years, but he appears to be beginning to separate himself in training camp.
“So far, George Pickens is clearly the number one. I think Van Jefferson has established himself as the number two”, Ray Fittipaldo told Joey Starkey on 93.7 The Fan on Friday. “And now we’re trying to figure out, without Roman Wilson, … who’s gonna step up and be that number three”.
Van Jefferson entered the NFL out of Florida in 2020. The Los Angeles Rams drafted him in the second round. In 2021, he started every game, catching 50 passes for 802 yards and six touchdowns. Since then, he has faced instability in one form or another, including an in-season trade in 2023.
The Steelers ultimately signed him in 2024 to just a one-year Veteran Salary Benefit contract. But he does have the bonus of having played under Arthur Smith last year. The Atlanta Falcons traded for Jefferson in-season, though they didn’t use him much.
Now with a full offseason, Jefferson and Smith hope they can cook something up together. Arguably, he is in the best position he has been in for the past few years, dependent upon play-calling. And if Smith believes Jefferson can make plays for him, there should be balls to go around.
The Steelers haven’t taken this roster into a stadium yet, and that’s a pretty important caveat. But on the whole, training camp hasn’t made it out to be the case that they are desperate for talent. “I give credit to Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin, Pat Freiermuth, and some of those guys because they’ve actually been okay”, Fittipaldo said. “It hasn’t been a constant topic in the talk show world or the newspaper world because they’ve actually had a pretty good camp so far”.
Of course, all of this holds limited value for the future, but it’s what we have now. The Steelers have another handful of training camp practices before they even play in their first preseason game. While they can still pull off a trade, it’s looking likely that Van Jefferson will be the second receiver.
