Do the Steelers need another starting wide receiver before the trade deadline passes?
The Steelers have now played their front slate of games, and it has been…interesting. Since Russell Wilson took over at quarterback, we are seeing more rounded skill position contributions. Certainly, Calvin Austin III and Van Jefferson are finding more consistent opportunities, and Scotty Miller dropped his.
But the Steelers also just put Roman Wilson on IR, and one wonders if they had been hoping he would emerge as a significant contributor down the stretch this year. While he still could, he can only play a maximum of six games.
George Pickens sits at 548 yards and one touchdown through eight games, and really, he should have three or four touchdowns. Austin now has 14 catches for 257 yards and two touchdowns for the Steelers. Jefferson scored last week and is now up to 139 yards. He had his best game, in fact, catching four for 64.
It was the first game all season in which the Steelers had three wide receivers produce 50-plus yards. Including backs and tight ends, it was only the second such game. And it was also the second game in which even two wide receivers produced 50-plus yards for the Steelers.
The question is, of course, is this repeatable now that Russell Wilson is cooking? Do the Steelers have the firepower to sustain a threatening offense? They have a tougher second half of the schedule, and will have to match more potent offenses.
We can’t forget the fact that the Steelers tried to trade for Brandon Aiyuk, and they called about Davante Adams and Mike Williams. If nothing else, the front office has repeatedly done its due diligence trying to better the wide receiver room.
But for most of that, they made these pursuits without seeing the offense run by Russell Wilson. Now that the Steelers have two games’ worth of Russ, and they are seeing how guys like Austin and Jefferson can contribute, are they satisfied with their receiver room? Or will we see another starter on the field via trade by the time they face the Commanders?
The Steelers’ 2024 season is underway, following another disappointing year ending in a first-round playoff loss. They have had a long offseason since the Buffalo Bills stamped them out of their misery back in January. There are positive signs, but things could jump off the rails any moment.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Will Russell Wilson regain his job when he is healthy, or is Justin Fields stealing it? How will the team continue to address the depth chart, which is surprisingly still in flux?
The regular season is here, following weeks of camp and preseason games. The Steelers made numerous moves through signings and trade—and release. More than usual, they seemed comfortable creating holes, confident they can fill them. Some they managed to fill, others not so much. Now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, however, we merely have a new set of questions to ask.
