Head coach Mike Tomlin addressed the media today ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week 1 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, and Tomlin expressed confidence in the team’s wide receiver room. While he admitted that he had questions about the wide receivers, he praised their performance throughout training camp and the preseason, in particular Scotty Miller and Van Jefferson.
“I’m comfortable with the performance of these guys. Had some questions even dating back to the spring, and to be quite honest with you, I probably went in the receiver room about a couple weeks into camp and told them that. I just believe in being really transparent,” Tomlin said said via Steelers.com. “But the consistency in which those guys performed in Latrobe and throughout team development has made me more comfortable. Specifically, I’m talking about Scotty Miller and Van Jefferson. I just can’t say enough about the consistency in which they perform, their floor if you will, they behave like veteran NFL players, and that’s provided some comfort in the midst of the transition that comes with dealing with new people and getting acclimated in that way.”
The Steelers tried to make a big addition to their receiver room with Brandon Aiyuk, but it seems after that fell through — Aiyuk signed a contract extension with the 49ers — that the Steelers will stick with what they have. Jefferson is listed as the No. 2 receiver on the depth chart, and the team is going to need him to step up across from WR George Pickens to help spark Pittsburgh’s passing attack.
On paper, it’s not an impressive room, but Jefferson earned a lot of praise this offseason. Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith also shouted out both him and Miller for having “excellent camps.”
It seems as if their performance has elevated the opinion of Pittsburgh’s wide receivers in the minds of the staff, and they’re going to have to carry over their strong performances from training camp into the regular season for the receiver room to be good. Pickens has proven what he’s capable of with a 1,140-yard season last year, but the rest of the room is unproven. The Steelers need veterans like Miller and Jefferson to make an impact, Jefferson in particular as he’s a starter.
It is interesting that Tomlin admitted that he previously had reservations about the room, and it makes sense why the team would try to acquire Aiyuk. Obviously, even if the Steelers were comfortable with Jefferson and Miller and the rest of the room due to a strong camp, Aiyuk was a big enough upgrade that he was still worth pursuing, but it’s pretty telling for Tomlin to admit that he had questions about the room.
It’s a good sign that the performances of guys helped ease those concerns, although if they didn’t then the Steelers likely would’ve been more aggressive in seeking outside help at the position. But it should be taken as a positive that Tomlin went from questioning the room to becoming comfortable with it. While it looks like a real weak spot for a team with playoff aspirations on paper, there’s hope that the room exceeds expectations.
Week 1 will be a good measuring stick for how the room looks outside of Pickens. Hopefully, next week we’ll be talking about the wide receiver room as a pleasant surprise instead of being left disappointed that the team didn’t do more to try to add to it.
