As the November 4 trade deadline draws near, the Pittsburgh Steelers remain in the market for a wide receiver, based on numerous reports.
Those reports continue to swirl and gain steam, even with Calvin Austin III making his return after a multi-week absence due to a shoulder injury and the continued emergence of second-year receiver Roman Wilson, who is coming off of his best game as a pro.
With the trade deadline drawing near, the Steelers continue to be loosely connected to the likes of New Orleans’ Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, Las Vegas’ Jakobi Meyers, Miami’s Jaylen Waddle, and now Tennessee’s Calvin Ridley.
The Steelers could theoretically use a solid No. 2 opposite DK Metcalf to help take some pressure off him in the passing game, while giving 41-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers another dependable weapon to work with.
But even with all of the outside noise about the need at the position, Wilson has his head down, continuing to work and believing in himself. He is attempting to become the wide receiver the Steelers envisioned he would be when they drafted him in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft out of Michigan.
“Honestly, since I’ve been here, since the day I was drafted, there’s been speculation, so it’s nothing new to me,” Wilson said of the trade deadline wide receiver buzz, according to the Post-Gazette’s Brian Batko. “It’s always been like that. I feel like it’s just something you always deal with, but it doesn’t really affect me.
“I don’t think it affects any of the other receivers, as well.”
Since Wilson joined the Steelers out of Michigan, the wide receiver room has been talked about ad nauseam regarding the need the Steelers have. Of course, there was the Brandon Aiyuk saga leading up to the 2024 season, and then the position was talked about non-stop until GM Omar Khan made a trade deadline addition of Mike Williams last season.
Then, this offseason, it was talked about once again as a need until Khan swung a big deal to land Metcalf. The position seemed set until Khan traded George Pickens to Dallas. Since then, the group has been questioned, even with Austin emerging as a go-to target for Rodgers.
Wilson has come on strong in recent weeks and had a nice performance against the Bengals in Week 7 on Thursday Night Football. Still, questions remain, and that’s why the Steelers continue to be connected to big names ahead of the trade deadline.
“I feel like — let me choose my words wisely — the player they drafted, I’m still that guy,” Wilson added, according to Batko. “I don’t wanna say anything wrong. I’m just gonna leave it at that. The player they thought they drafted, that’s who I am.”
Wilson’s confidence is growing week after week. He’s starting to make plays, and it appears the Steelers are trusting him a bit more. Will that change with Austin back in the mix? Snaps might be hard to come by, but Wilson is continuing to prove he is a dependable piece.
Will Khan swing another big deal and land one of those top names at the position before the deadline? That remains to be seen. But what the current group isn’t doing is paying attention to the noise.
After all, it’s nothing new.
