While the Pittsburgh Steelers are 6-2, they could still benefit from making some moves before the trade deadline. They’ve been nosing around receivers since before the season started, so that feels like a position where they could make an addition. Although their receivers have looked better with Russell Wilson throwing them the ball, they still need to be better. Los Angeles Rams receiver Cooper Kupp is one name that’s floated around, but Ben Roethlisberger believes that isn’t realistic.
“It would be a dream come true, but I don’t think it’s realistic,” Roethlisberger said Tuesday on his podcast, Footbahlin’ with Ben Roethlisberger. “You’re not gonna bring a number one into this situation. I don’t think Cooper Kupp would want to come here. He’s only played three games, but through three games, 23 catches, almost 200 yards, two touchdowns.
“Right now, we’ve played eight, and he’d be number four on our team in receiving in less than half the games. George Pickens has got 35 catches, he’s only 12 behind, he doesn’t want to come here and catch the ball three or four times a game.”
That is a fair point made by Roethlisberger, who played with his fair share of number-one receivers. The Steelers aren’t a pass-first team. They want to run the ball and only pass when they need to. With Wilson at quarterback, receivers have been fed a little more, but not enough to feed multiple huge egos.
That isn’t to say that Kupp has a huge ego. Roethlisberger’s point seems more targeted towards top receivers in general. Those players want the ball because they want to make a play. They’re aware of how talented they are, and they want to help the team win. The Steelers’ offense isn’t really built to satisfy multiple guys like that.
During that same episode, Roethlisberger explained why, even though the Steelers’ offense looks better, it still isn’t an ideal fit for another top receiver.
“No, because last night [Wilson] was 20 of 28 [passing]. Only throwing it 28 times, that’s only 20 balls that are getting spread around. That’s not enough going around. You love the deep shot, and you love that he’s taking the chances, but right now, the Steelers offense is about running the ball.”
Roethlisberger has more than enough experience playing with multiple talented receivers to know what he’s talking about. Earlier in his career, he had Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes. Then, he had guys like Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant, and JuJu Smith-Schuster. Tensions were high sometimes because some of those players felt like they deserved the ball more.
Roethlisberger isn’t saying the Steelers shouldn’t trade for another receiver. He’s just warning people that while a player like Kupp looks great on paper, things could become much more complicated in reality. George Pickens clearly wants the ball, and if another receiver heavily eats into his targets, there could be some problems.
That’s all hypothetical, though. Not every receiver is the same. Kupp, or some other player, could not care as much about their production and be more focused on winning, which they could do with the Steelers.
Also, the other receivers the Steelers targeted earlier this year wanted to come to Pittsburgh. There came a point when Brandon Aiyuk would only play for the Steelers, and Davante Adams was willing to come to Pittsburgh. Saying receivers don’t want to come to Pittsburgh might be a bit of a stretch.
Had the Steelers actually acquired either of those players, perhaps there would have been issues, but they clearly weren’t worried about that. Wilson has also juggled several talented receivers in the past, even if he is a different player now. The Steelers’ scheme might not be receiver-friendly, but it feels like they’d be doing their best to make it work.
With the trade deadline steadily approaching, we’ll see if the Steelers make a move. The Baltimore Ravens just traded for Diontae Johnson, so the AFC North might become an arms race. The Steelers are on top right now, but they may need one more playmaker to keep up with the Ravens. If they make that kind of move, we’ll find out if Roethlisberger is right or wrong.
