For the second straight offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves with a major need at multiple important positions across their roster. Quarterback is the biggest need, followed by the defensive line, but wide receiver is right there among the top needs once again, too.
After failing to land a big name at receiver last offseason despite being tied to Brandon Aiyuk all the way through August, and having been connected to the likes of Deebo Samuel, Cooper Kupp and Davante Adams, the Steelers added Mike Williams at the trade deadline and counted on journeyman Van Jefferson to be a No. 2.
Needless to say, it didn’t work out. Now, the Steelers are back in the same position as last offseason: needing a legitimate complementary weapon opposite George Pickens — whether that’s Samuel, who finds himself in trade talks again, Kupp, or another wide receiver who emerges in the trade market.
Free agency is another route, too. For Steelers.com’s Bob Labriola, who responded to a reader in his latest “Asked and Answered” segment for the team website, he believes the Steelers are going to “explore a lot of possibilities” to add a veteran wide receiver during free agency.
“And the kind of veteran wide receiver who’s a top-of-the-depth-chart kind of guy,” Labriola writes.
Now, Labriola specifically mentions free agency, but he’s not clear if he means via trade or signing guys on the open market. Regardless, the Steelers should be quite aggressive at the position.
Samuel and Kupp will dominate the trade chatter at the position until something happens there, while names like Amari Cooper, Stefon Diggs, Keenan Allen, Chris Godwin and Darius Slayton are the top receivers on the free agent market. Tee Higgins could be included in there, too, but he reportedly will have the franchise tag placed on him by the Bengals.
Davante Adams could add his name into the mix of free agent wide receivers, depending on what the Jets do with him now that they’re moving in a different direction from quarterback Aaron Rodgers. So, the Steelers will have plenty of options to address one of the biggest holes on the roster.
GM Omar Khan tried time and time again last offseason to plug the hole following the trade of Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers for cornerback Donte Jackson. Fact of the matter is that Khan failed to plug the hole, and it cost the Steelers during the season. Teams were able to focus more on George Pickens, and no other receiver was able to really step up into that No. 2 role consistently.
It’s a mistake Khan and the Steelers can’t afford to make again this offseason. There is plenty of talent available via trade or free agency, and the Steelers have the draft capital and the cap space to make a move happen. We’ll see just how aggressive they ultimately are.
