Dating all the way back to the summer, and continuing as we near the trade deadline, the Pittsburgh Steelers remain wrapped up in trade rumors regarding several wide receivers across the league. Their rumored interest in both Brandon Aiyuk and Davante Adams took over headlines over the past several months. Most recently, it was New York Jets receiver Mike Williams. Amidst all that chaos, the Steelers have quietly been getting some solid production from their wide receiver corps.
George Pickens is the obvious leader of the group. He’s found his name in the headlines a few times this season, but he’s looked explosive ever since Russell Wilson took over as the starting quarterback. Behind him, Calvin Austin III and Van Jefferson have showed some signs of life with Wilson at the helm as well.
During his appearance on 93.7 The Fan on Thursday, the Pittsburgh Post Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo spoke about how encouraging those guys have been.
“It’s really encouraging what Van Jefferson looks like with Russ, and Calvin Austin as well,” The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo told 93.7 The Fan’s Chris Mueller on Thursday. “I’m really encouraged by the way these secondary receiving targets look with Russ at quarterback.”
Austin made a big impact in the Steelers’ 26-18 win over the New York Giants last Monday. He only had three receptions, but he made the most of them, racking up 54 yards and a touchdown. Although it doesn’t relate to his production as a receiver, Austin also had a massive punt return for a touchdown. Jefferson also made himself known on Monday, hauling in four passes for 62 yards.
Although Fittipaldo is impressed by those two, he does stress the need for Pittsburgh to improve the bottom of the roster.
“If George Pickens goes down, this team would be in a world of hurt,” Fittipaldo said. “I just think they need some quality depth, behind him and behind the other guys.”
Austin has the second-most receiving yards of all Steelers wide receivers, behind Pickens. However, his 257 yards only come out to 32.1 per game with Jefferson at 17.4 receiving yards per game. With that in mind, it’s not unrealistic for Fittipaldo to claim Pittsburgh needs to upgrade the position. However, that’s something we’ve heard about for many months now, so it’s nothing new at this point.
What is noticeable is the way Austin and Jefferson have looked with Wilson at quarterback. They’re each looking a bit more lively, and that’s encouraging regardless of whether the Steelers make a deal or not before the trade deadline Tuesday.
