While most are wondering when and if the Pittsburgh Steelers will add another wide receiver, at least one analyst thinks the team is sitting pretty. Former nose tackle and current commentator Chris Hoke has an optimistic take about the state of the team’s receiver room.
“There’s a lot of teams that would love to have the wide receiving corps the Steelers have,” Hoke said earlier this week on 93.7 The Fan via Andrew Limburg.
For context, it seems Hoke is including Pat Freiermuth in the group of “receivers” a tight end but someone standing up more often this season than year’s past. That does bolster the group but Hoke’s opinion remains in the minority. George Pickens is capable of being a No. 1 receiver and has flashed moments of greatness while his game has gotten more well-rounded. But he’s yet to truly become a dominant player week-in and week-out that would elevate him into a group of the top ten receivers in the league.
Behind that, the unit is spotty. Van Jefferson would not be a No. 2 on most teams. He wasn’t even in Atlanta last season, a team that had a worse receiver group. Calvin Austin III has made some splash plays and his speed is undeniable but he’s still a former third round pick who is barely averaging more than one reception per game, 28 grabs in 24 appearances. At best, his performance is “popcorn,” showing up big for one play before going quiet the next 30.
Scotty Miller hasn’t caught a pass since Week 3 and spends his sparse offense snaps blocking more than running routes. And rookie third-rounder Roman Wilson has logged all of five snaps this season, still a complete unknown after hurting his ankle in July and hamstring last week. Out this week, he’ll have to wait until after the bye to potentially dress again.
Thinking this group is the envy of the league is a serious stretch even the most black-and-gold colored glasses fan would have a hard time getting onboard with. But Hoke thinks the young group, especially with QB Russell Wilson at the helm, should get more time.
“We just don’t know yet what we have,” Hoke told The Fan.
Pittsburgh might have to find out. Losing out on Brandon Aiyuk, Davante Adams, DeAndre Hopkins, and most likely Cooper Kupp, there are few big pieces left on the board. Even adding someone like Mike Williams feels like at best a marginal upgrade. That makes the development of the group they have critical to their success once the trade deadline passes just over one week from now.
