For the rest of the preseason, I’m handing out Pittsburgh Steelers training camp grades. Position-by-position, we’ll evaluate each Steeler who spent training camp with the team to reveal the good, bad, and ugly. This is based on the team’s 14 public training camp practices and preseason performances through the date of each article. This grade looks at camp/preseason performance in a vacuum. Nothing else is evaluated.
Today, grading the wide receivers.
Previous Training Camp Grades
Quarterback
Running Back
Tight End
DK Metcalf
A nice camp for Metcalf, as you’d expect for the shiny new No. 1 target. Chemistry with QB Aaron Rodgers has been and will continue to be a work in progress, but it improved throughout training camp. Beyond Seven Shots, the two had slow starts in the first four practices but found big downfield plays throughout camp. By the end, the two connected on 40 and 55-yard touchdown passes.
Predictably, Rodgers targeted Metcalf more than anyone else by order of magnitude. In fact, he only caught one pass from a quarterback other than Rodgers, a short snag from Mason Rudolph fairly early into training camp.
Seeing is believing, and Metcalf is a freaky athlete who combines rare size and burst. He doesn’t just run by people but flies by them. The vertical ball wasn’t the best way Rodgers linked up with him, and it would’ve been nice to see one true go-ball hit big. Some were broken up by defensive backs, some were Rodgers missing, and one was a Metcalf drop, a Cover 2 hole shot during a two-minute drill.
Their best plays came over the middle. Those two big aforementioned plays, along with a barrage of slants Rodgers fired Metcalf’s way. Expect those throws to be revived in a Steelers’ offense devoid of them in recent seasons. Metcalf is detailed and finishes his catches to the end zone, is a willing blocker, and is an all-around hard worker. On and off the field, the right kind of guy to be the leader of the room. If there’s a negative, his hands aren’t as reliable, and a couple of throws will bounce off him.
For camp, Metcalf led the team in every receiving category. His 10 touchdowns were double that of second place.
Metcalf looks every bit the Steelers’ No. 1 receiver. Which is good, because they need him to shine in that role. He must play well and can’t get hurt for any length of time, or else Pittsburgh’s in trouble.
Camp Grade: B+
Scotty Miller
Miller is a traditional camp darling, the Anthony Chickillo of the offense. But it’s hard to ignore what Miller did this summer, especially as camp wore on. When some guys fall off, he picks up. Taking advantage of more reps with Austin sidelined, his connection with Rodgers heated up. Legitimately one of, if not the fastest, receiver the Steelers have, Miller can still fly and has true burner wheels.
He gets open, runs good routes, and catches the ball cleanly. Miller ended camp with 273 yards and a healthy 15.2-yards per catch. That translated to preseason action, recording six catches for 85 yards.
Miller is versatile and can play any receiver spot. He’s a punt return option, has dabbled as a gunner in the past, and filled in as an emergency holder last season. It’ll still be hard for him to find playing time, and he could open the season inactive. But Miller looks like a strong bet to make the 53-man roster, ready to fill in whenever and however needed.
Camp Grade: B+
Roman Wilson
It was a quiet start with a much louder finish. Through the first four days, Wilson’s name could’ve as easily been on a milk carton as it was on a football field. With just one reception during the acclimation period despite consistently running first-team, alarm bells started to sound. But Wilson picked things up from there and did his best work inside stadiums against the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Wilson showed his speed and ability to make downfield plays, chunk yardage that Pittsburgh needs to complement a ground-and-pound running game.
Wilson’s camp numbers didn’t overwhelm. He had just 13 receptions on 21 targets but 190 yards, giving him a great 14.6-yards per catch. One touchdown was a tough sliding grab from Aaron Rodgers during a Seven Shots scramble drill. Wilson showed fight as a blocker, didn’t drop a pass, and crucially, was healthy and working every single day.
Entering the preseason finale, Wilson leads the team with 96 yards.
There were still kinks to work out with Rodgers, and the two weren’t always aligned. In one instance, he was late getting his head around on a speed out with Rodgers showing frustration that his pass was out in front. Similar moments occurred during the rest of camp. However, Wilson is gradually gaining trust from the team and perhaps in himself in his most extensive action after missing essentially his entire rookie season.
Wilson hasn’t done enough to cement himself as the No. 2, but if no outside WR is brought in, he and Austin will probably be part of an even rotation until and unless one can clearly jump the other.
Camp Grade: B
Max Hurleman
The closest thing to a camp darling Pittsburgh had, Hurleman has gone from rookie minicamp tryout to a future practice squad member. His versatility and college background as a running back, wide receiver, cornerback, and punt returner help him stand out. In camp, he was used almost exclusively as a receiver. With Cordarrelle Patterson sidelined and before Lew Nichols was signed, Hurleman picked up one carry at running back. It went for 7 yards, but he fumbled at the end, promptly ending that experiment.
He spent the rest of camp as a wide receiver and punt returner. In preseason action, he saw extensive work as a gunner and made a tackle late in the Jacksonville opener to preserve a great net-yardage punt. Against Tampa Bay, he influenced the returner’s inability to get under the ball and recovered the fumble after the Bucs’ returner muffed his attempted pickup.
Hurleman is a willing blocker who plays with effort, even if execution isn’t always there.
As a wide receiver, he showed his athleticism down the seam. The best thing about him is that he carried that to stadiums, catching a pass down the seam in a two-minute drill and doing the same versus Tampa Bay. A few plays later, he scored his first touchdown. Hurleman missed out on a second score against Tampa, letting a wide-open end zone pass slip through his hands.
In camp, he caught 15 passes in team period for 151 yards and two touchdowns.
He can wear many hats while working on the scout team on the practice squad. That will become even more valuable once rosters are cut down from the 91-man group the Steelers are working with right now to the 70-man unit they’ll have in the regular season (53-man roster + 17-man practice squad). He should pass through waivers without issue and re-join the practice squad—an excellent place for a young guy like him to start his NFL career.
Camp Grade: B
Brandon Johnson
Call Brandon Johnson a touchdown machine. He finished camp with five touchdowns, second on the team only behind DK Metcalf’s 10. His 6’2 frame makes for an attractive target, and he uses it well. More than one-third of his camp catches, five of 14, found the end zone. That carried over to stadiums, Mason Rudolph finding him in a scramble drill versus Tampa Bay.
Johnson is more than a receiver. He received a substantial amount of special teams burn. Through two games, the only offensive player with more special teams snaps than Johnson’s 26 is RB Trey Sermon’s 29. After his Buccaneers ‘ score, Johnson even recorded the tackle on the ensuing kickoff. Talk about helping your cause.
I would’ve liked to see more from Johnson between the 20s, but it was a good camp for him. He carried momentum throughout and played ahead of Robert Woods against Tampa Bay. Still, he’s on the roster bubble and doesn’t carry the versatility Hurleman and Williams offer as returners.
Even if offered a practice squad spot, I wonder if Johnson would want to stay in Pittsburgh. At best, he’s a No. 6 receiver in a run-heavy offense that barely even used him a year ago despite injuries and worse depth at receiver, and Russell Wilson, his quarterback in Denver, running the show. Maybe Johnson signs with another practice squad with a clearer path to seeing time. Heck, following Wilson to the Giants makes a lot of sense. But if he sticks with Pittsburgh, that’s a good thing for the Steelers.
Camp Grade: B
Ke’Shawn Williams
With speed and burst, Williams flashed in camp. Undersized, he makes up for it with his wheels. The Friday Night Lights practice was one of his better showings. But his hands were suspect, dropping too many and struggling to make combat grabs. That changed in the preseason opener against the Jaguars, hauling in a go-ball touchdown for a 26-yard score. His first catch was just as impressive, a great route to get open over the middle, the wherewithal to get back up after making a sliding catch, and the YAC to maximize the yards on the play.
Williams has been the team’s exclusive punt returner and repped there every day of practice, even catching six balls in the punt return “challenge,” where each person has to try to catch as many punts as possible without dropping a ball. He fell one shy of tying the record. In-game, Williams has been effective. He doesn’t dance and gets vertical with an AB-like head fake. He does, however, love his spin move on punts. Uses it every chance he gets.
He showed effort as a blocker, taking out the corner on RB Trey Sermon’s screen pass touchdown versus Jacksonville, and worked as a gunner on the punt coverage unit.
Like Max Hurleman, Williams is a fine bet for the practice squad.
Camp Grade: B-
Roc Taylor
One of the biggest sleepers entering camp, Taylor showed flashes of why there was hype. He’s big, strong, and dynamic at his best. The volume wasn’t always there, but his receptions came downfield, finding good chemistry with QB Skylar Thompson on back-shoulder fades. With his size, they were tough to stop. With just eight receptions during team periods, he made up for it with a nearly 20-yard average.
He played well against Tampa Bay, making plays as a receiver with break-tackle and YAC ability while showing a willingness to block.
But he curiously became a camp casualty earlier this week as part of a roster reshuffling. The odd-man-out at receiver, he reportedly fell into Mike Tomlin’s doghouse during the joint practice against Tampa Bay. The reason isn’t known, though a scuffle with the opponent could’ve easily sent him there. A lack of special teams value was also a problem, and he displayed less versatility than Max Hurleman and Ke’Shawn Williams.
It’s still hard to fully understand why Taylor was cut before the finale, even though he flashed the talent to stick in the league. But there’s a lot behind the scenes we don’t know, and there are instances of talented but limited receivers not lasting in the past. Tyler Vaughns was once a camp standout cut and never returned. Back-end roster receivers have to offer more than just catching the ball, and Taylor apparently didn’t show enough of that.
Camp Grade: B-
Ben Skowronek
Skowronek’s primary value is through special teams, more so than as a receiver, and he should open the season as a starting gunner. That’s reflected in relatively weak offensive stats: 10 receptions on 13 targets. But he was in the “upper” group of receivers and increased his playing time after Austin’s injury. His catches were combative, and he showed good hands to finish the play. He’s an above-average blocker with plus size. Twice, Skowronek was checked out by trainers and even briefly left practice one day, but returned to finish out the session.
A fine camp for Skowronek. That’s precisely what you’d expect. The only thing to watch here is a toe injury that’s caused him to miss time post-camp.
Camp Grade: C+
Robert Woods
On the surface, Woods’ numbers weren’t bad. He had the second-most receptions of any Steelers’ receiver and hit a couple of downfield plays, including a 40-yard catch down the seam. But where Woods was running was concerning and has him on the outside-looking-in approaching final cutdowns. Woods consistently ran behind Ben Skowronek and Scotty Miller in the receiver pecking order by camp’s end. That’s carried over to game action, where Woods mostly saw second-half work. His snaps bled into the fourth quarter while Roman Wilson, Scotty Miller, and Brandon Johnson called it a day by halftime.
Woods caught the ball without issue and is a willing and aggressive blocker, though young slot corner D’Shawn Jamison beat him multiple times in stalk block drills. But there’s not much juice left in his legs, and Pittsburgh’s looking for playmakers. His vet presence is nice, but Metcalf can assume that role, and there’s no diva in the locker room for a vet like Woods to try and manage or connect with.
Barring something unexpected, Woods will begin the year searching for a new team. And if he does somehow make the roster, it’ll be as a No. 6 and weekly inactive.
Camp Grade: C-
Calvin Austin III
A disappointing camp, no question. Primarily due to injury, Austin hurt his oblique during Friday Night Lights and missed the rest of camp, just now getting back to health and practice. Even before going down, Austin wasn’t doing much in camp. He caught Rodgers’ first downfield completion, a 20-yard grab over the middle, but he had just two more receptions during the rest of the team periods.
His most notable moment was making seven catches in the punt return challenge, which I believe ties the team training camp record in the decade I’ve been covering Latrobe. The milestone is meaningless to the season but fun to celebrate.
The good news is that Austin has all of 2024 to fall back on, and he appears on track to be ready Week One. But in a year with a new quarterback, Austin missing time and not building that Rodgers’ connection like the others is frustrating.
Before the injury, Austin worked in the daily punt return lines and is expected to be the team’s starting punt returner this year. The grade is harsher than I feel about Austin overall going into the year, but an uneventful first eight practices coupled with an injury isn’t what he was hoping for.
Camp Grade: D+
Lance McCutcheon
A camp sleeper is always a dart throw, and expectations should never be set too high for potential candidates. But McCutcheon felt a little disappointing. For a guy with NFL experience who has made a 53-man roster before, McCutcheon was quiet throughout much of camp. He posted similar numbers to other wideouts, 14 grabs on 20 targets, but nothing felt noteworthy. It was inoffensive, and I can’t recall any ugly reps, but he blended into the crowd of the receiver room. His game action has been even less eventful, with just two receptions. A third target was contested to the point of possible pass interference, but resulted in an interception.
McCutcheon outlasted Roc Taylor when Pittsburgh made a receiver cut. Still, it’s hard to think he’ll stick on the practice squad unless one of the receivers ahead of him (Johnson, Williams, Hurleman) goes elsewhere.
Camp Grade: D+
