Quarterback might be the biggest need for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but they’re also in desperate need of an upgrade at wide receiver. Last year, George Pickens looked like a capable No. 1 receiver. However, the rest of that room was disappointing. Calvin Austin III was the only other receiver with over 500 yards, and he only barely broke that mark. It seems like the Steelers are going to try to retain Justin Fields. If they can do that, Yahoo Sports analyst Matt Harmon believes the Steelers need to aggressively work to improve at receiver.
“If you’re bringing back Fields, then I think the need at receiver becomes paramount,” Harmon said recently on Yahoo Sports’ Football 301 podcast. “What you can’t do is do the Fields thing again and have him working with like the worst receiver corps outside of George Pickens that you could possibly assemble.
“And Pickens isn’t a guy you can count on either. They definitely then need to, I think, take multiple swings at wideout, both from a free agent standpoint and a draft pick standpoint.”
Harmon makes a great point. While Fields wasn’t stellar last year, he didn’t get a ton of support. That’s why the Steelers spent most of the year scrambling to upgrade that room. They just failed to seal the deal multiple times, like with Brandon Aiyuk. At this point, they probably need to add multiple bodies to that room to make it adequate.
It’s also important to talk about the massive elephant in that room. Pickens is a stud on the field, but his behavior has been a serious problem. He hasn’t been reliable, allowing his emotions to control him. He’s also scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent after the 2025 season. If he continues to be a problem, will the Steelers feel comfortable giving him a big deal?
Therefore, it wouldn’t be the worst idea for the Steelers to use free agency and the draft to upgrade at receiver. They haven’t drafted a receiver in the first round since Santonio Holmes in 2006. However, they haven’t had a group this weak in a long time as well.
Even if the Steelers trade for or sign one of the big names available, that shouldn’t stop them from targeting a receiver on Day 1 of the draft. Injecting some youth into that group is important. It might make it easier for them to let Pickens leave, too.
Signing Fields feels like one of the best options available for the Steelers. However, he needs help to succeed. The Steelers need more weapons on offense, and that should be one of their top priorities this offseason. They saw what happened when they procrastinated last year. That shouldn’t happen again. Upgrading at receiver should be at the top of the Steelers’ to-do list.
