All eyes are on the Pittsburgh Steelers’ receiving corps today as many anticipate a wide receiver to be added via trade ahead of the deadline. Head coach Mike Tomlin was asked what he has learned about his depth at the position over the first half of the season during his weekly press conference.
“That when called upon, they’re capable of delivering,” Tomlin said via a video on the Steelers’ YouTube. “With each passing week there’ll be more opportunities to display that, particularly as people work schematically to minimize George [Pickens]. It creates one-on-one opportunity for others. Sometimes people have dual agendas. They wanna minimize George and Pat [Freiermuth] and that further creates opportunities for others.
“I just feel like we have a group that’s hardworking and capable and can’t wait to show the football world those capabilities. And every time we step into a stadium, they get an opportunity to do so, and you’ve seen some examples of it already.”
Entering the season with a receiving corps that didn’t quite look complete on paper, the hope all along was that guys like Pickens and Freiermuth would perform well enough, along with the running game, to create favorable matchups for players like Calvin Austin III, Van Jefferson, and others.
Through the first six weeks, that did not go according to plan. Austin and Jefferson were combining for three receptions for 38.1 yards and 0.2 touchdowns per game. The passing game in general wasn’t clicking other than a few big plays from Justin Fields to Pickens per game. Since Russell Wilson took over, it’s been a completely different story.
Over the last two games with Wilson, Austin and Jefferson are combining for five receptions per game for 83.5 yards and a touchdown. Guys like Darnell Washington are also getting more involved, all while RB Najee Harris has been enjoying the best stretch of his career. The added production for the depth players hasn’t created a drag on the numbers for guys like Pickens and Freiermuth, either. Production has gone up across the board.
They are just two games into the Wilson era, but it feels like there is plenty more to prove for the Steelers’ receiving corps. They may or may not receive some help before the trade deadline, but that will be passing in just a few hours from now at 4:00 PM/ET.
