The Pittsburgh Steelers made a run at San Francisco 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk before Aiyuk signed an extension with the 49ers this offseason, but ESPN’s Dan Graziano expects the Steelers to continue to be active in monitoring the trade market for additional wide receiver help.
“The Steelers were active on the wide receiver market in the offseason — remember, they had a real chance to land Brandon Aiyuk had the 49ers not been able to extend him — and I expect them to continue to monitor the receiver trade market as the deadline approaches,” Graziano wrote in a news and notes column today for ESPN. “Tennessee’s DeAndre Hopkins and Jacksonville’s Christian Kirk are two veterans who could conceivably become available and might be appealing to the Steelers if their teams continue to lose and fall out of the playoff race.”
While Hopkins and Kirk sound more like speculation than anything, there’s going to be options for the Steelers if they want to add another receiver. Week 3 was the first time we saw a non-George Pickens receiver do much of anything as Calvin Austin III had four receptions for 95 yards and a touchdown while Scotty Miller had two catches for 31 yards. Neither project as a legitimate second option at receiver, though, so the Steelers might want to upgrade, especially with them off to a hot start.
The pursuit of Aiyuk showed that the Steelers do want to upgrade at receiver, and the production through games at the position hasn’t been anything to write home about. One name the Steelers were linked to this offseason and someone who ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said could be an option at the deadline is WR Courtland Sutton, although he did get a raise from Denver this offseason. Still, Sutton might be the most logical name, especially if the 1-2 Broncos are out of contention by the deadline.
The Steelers have focused on running the ball and playing a ball-control style of offense, but Justin Fields has taken shots downfield at times, and he had his best game through the air in Week 3. It’s no coincidence that came with Austin and Miller having a big game, and the Steelers could use another receiver who’s a threat to help take some of the coverage away from Pickens. It would be logical for them to look at the market and see if they can upgrade for the second half when they’ll have all six of their AFC North games in addition to matchups with the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles.
The Steelers haven’t been shy about making trades at the deadline. In 2022 the team added CB William Jackson III (although he never played for Pittsburgh) while trading WR Chase Claypool to the Bears. If the Steelers see an opportunity to upgrade at the right cost, Omar Khan could very well add to their receiver room.
