After many months of speculation, debates regarding roster moves and final cuts decisions, the start of the 2024 NFL season is upon us.
Teams, for the most part, are set. They are going to ride with what they have entering the 2024 season, and that is especially true for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who had the busiest offseason in franchise history this year, adding a number of new faces to the roster as GM Omar Khan and assistant GM Andy Weidl reshaped the roster top to bottom.
The Steelers were even in the Brandon Aiyuk sweepstakes late in the process, before the San Francisco 49ers were ultimately able to sign the wide receiver to a four-year, $120 million extension with $76 million guaranteed, ending the offseason-long saga that seemingly had no end in sight.
In the process of the 49ers extending Aiyuk, it hindered the Steelers’ plans at wide receiver, where Pittsburgh has a real issue behind standout third-year receiver George Pickens.
For The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo, the “looming void” at wide receiver is the Steelers’ biggest concern entering the 2024 season, starting Sunday in Atlanta.
“When the Steelers traded former Pro Bowl receiver Diontae Johnson, they shook up the locker room dynamics and added a cornerback (Donte Jackson) who should step into a starting role. However, the move also created a massive question mark at receiver that was never solved,” DeFabo writes for The Athletic. “That the Steelers were interested in a player (Brandon Aiyuk) who would have cost more than T.J. Watt to employ tells you the team itself must be concerned about receiver depth.
“That room right now features George Pickens and a lot of questions. Veteran Van Jefferson, third-year receiver Calvin Austin [III] and rookie Roman Wilson will try to answer that looming void.”
There are a lot of questions behind Pickens, and rightfully so.
Jefferson is a solid veteran presence, one who had a solid year in the NFL in 2021, hauling in 50 receptions for 802 yards and five touchdowns and helping the Los Angeles Rams win the Super Bowl. But he hasn’t come anywhere close to that production in the years since and has struggled with injuries.
Right now, he profiles as the Steelers’ No. 2 receiver behind Pickens, which is a bit of a concern.
WRs coach Zach Azzanni has been high on Calvin Austin III all summer but asking him to be a potential No. 2 or No. 3 in 2024 is a major stretch. Meanwhile rookie Roman Wilson missed much of training camp due to the ankle injury suffered on July 30, hindering his development.
Veteran Scotty Miller is another veteran presence with NFL production under his belt, but he hasn’t been all that good in recent years.
So, depth is a major concern for the Steelers behind Pickens. On paper, that is the case, and once the games start that could be an even bigger concern as opposing teams start to scheme ways to take away Pickens in the passing game, forcing guys like Jefferson, Miller and Austin to step up.
It’s not a comforting place to be in, especially after striking out on Aiyuk. But it’s the bed that Khan and Weidl made. They have to lay in it for now and hope that the veterans they banked on this offseason can get back to a respectable level of play.
