The Pittsburgh Steelers’ wide receiver room doesn’t have a lot of production right now, and while some of that can be explained by a lack of opportunity for non-George Pickens wideouts, Pickens also hasn’t played as well as expected for a No. 1 receiver. There’s undoubtedly room for the receiver group to be upgraded, and NFL insider Tom Pelissero believes that the Steelers are going to make a move for a receiver before the trade deadline.
“I would say, I’m not big in the prediction business, but if I had to guess I’d say the Steelers probably add a wide receiver still, before the trade deadline,” Pelissero Friday said on The Rich Eisen Show.
Some possible names that the Steelers could be interested in includes WR DeAndre Hopkins, WR Christian Kirk, and WR Mike Williams. The Steelers missed out on Brandon Aiyuk this offseason and more recently Davante Adams, whom the team will face on Sunday after he was traded to the New York Jets. Adams going to the Jets also opens up the possibility for the Steelers to acquire Williams, whom they had an interest in this offseason.
While none of the names left on the market are super exciting, at least compared to Adams or Aiyuk, any of Hopkins, Williams or Kirk would slot right in as one of Pittsburgh’s top two wide receivers. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler also reported this week that the Steelers are “next up” when it comes to trading for a receiver, and given Pittsburgh’s active pursuit for Aiyuk and Adams, it seems like the team will pursue a trade in the coming weeks.
It’ll be interesting just how big the Steelers go when looking for a receiver. Hopkins or Kirk would likely cost more to acquire than Mike Williams, but both would also give the Steelers’ offense a higher ceiling than Williams might. Williams is an easy guy to connect the dots with given Pittsburgh’s prior interest and his availability, and the Steelers have reportedly already reached out about trading for him.
With the trade deadline pushed back a week this season and not until Nov. 5, the Steelers will have under three weeks to make a move. Given that the market got put in motion this week with the Amari Cooper and Adams trades, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Pittsburgh make something happen within the next week or two.
