The Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t had much production at the wide receiver position outside of DK Metcalf this season. Part of that could be the offensive scheme. Part of that could be WR Calvin Austin III missing a ton of time with an injury. But a lot of people think the Steelers need a bona fide WR2 opposite Metcalf. NFL insider Adam Schefter is one of them, and he thinks the Steelers need someone to “take the pressure off” Metcalf.
Are the Steelers looking to add more talent via trade before the deadline in November? There have been plenty of rumors out there. Insider Mark Kaboly certainly thinks there have been plenty of conversations about wide receivers. The Steelers started some of those conversations, and some teams engaged the Steelers in talks as well, according to Kaboly.
“I think there’s been a lot of snooping around, both sides,” Kaboly said Friday on the PM Team on 93.7 The Fan. “I think you’re getting a lot of calls to Pittsburgh, and they’re looking into it. But I don’t think it’s going to be anybody that’s going to move the needle.”
Normally, we think about trades from the perspective of the Steelers reaching out to teams with targets they’d be interested in. But from what Kaboly is saying, other teams in the league are calling general manager Omar Khan to see if the Steelers would be interested in acquiring potential wide receivers. And that makes sense. The Steelers don’t have a proven WR2. If you’re a team looking to acquire future assets and you’ve got a proven wide receiver, the Steelers would certainly be on your list of teams to call.
The question is, who do the Steelers want at wide receiver? Former NFL WR Chad Johnson thinks the Steelers should trade for Philadelphia Eagles WR A.J. Brown. If the Steelers did that, it would certainly qualify as a needle-moving move. Could you imagine the Steelers with Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, throwing to Metcalf and Brown?
But Kaboly doesn’t think the Steelers are looking into making that big of a move. And that makes sense. Khan and the front office have to keep one eye firmly on the future. Rodgers will be 42 years old in December. The Steelers have to think about the future of the quarterback position. And you know any trade for Brown would involve a lot of draft capital.
So, who could the Steelers be targeting? NFL insider Tony Pauline has three players in mind: Miami Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle, Tennessee Titans WR Calvin Ridley, and Las Vegas Raiders WR Jakobi Meyers. Waddle would be another name that would certainly move the needle for the Steelers.
But Ridley spent time with Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. And the Steelers already brought in one offensive piece this year that Smith is familiar with in TE Jonnu Smith. Could Arthur Smith want another crack at working with Ridley?
As for Meyers, he’s been consistent in his desire to be traded from Las Vegas. He’s not a household name like Waddle or A.J. Brown, but he caught at least four touchdowns in each of the previous three seasons. He averages 11.7 yards per catch, and he gained at least 800 yards receiving in each of the last four seasons. He also doesn’t turn 29 years old until early November. So, he could be a part of the offense for at least a few years.
Maybe teams like the New Orleans Saints, who have two wide receivers in Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed that will be free agents next year, are calling the Steelers. And maybe the Steelers have reached out to teams like the Raiders or the Titans. The truth is, we may never know what the Steelers’ plans are unless they can get on the same page as another team on trade terms.
But according to Mark Kaboly, the Steelers are engaging in trade talks, either started by them or started by someone else, to bring another wide receiver to Pittsburgh.
