The Pittsburgh Steelers' wide receiver room has been a bit of a question mark throughout the 2024 offseason. It was an intriguing positional unit before General Manager Omar Khan traded away Diontae Johnson and since then it has been a serious concern. Wide receiver is arguably the weakest position the team has on paper.
Khan did go out and sign a few veteran wideouts via free agency to bolster the room, however none that immediately jumped off the page, but they can certainly contribute. Khan also selected Roman Wilson out of Michigan in the third round of the NFL Draft. The receiver room might still be a concern, but it's better than it was a few months ago.
George Pickens is the clear-cut number one option for the Steelers this season; there's no question about that. Pickens broke 1,000 receiving yards in 2023 in his second season and is looking to build on that heading into year three where we could see Pickens break out in a big way. The big question about the Steelers' wide receiver room this offseason has been who slots in at the two spot behind Pickens? There have been rumors of the Steelers being interested in a trade for a wide receiver to fill that hole, but the closer it gets to the regular season, the less likely a trade becomes.
More than likely, Pittsburgh's number two option at wide receiver is already on the roster and has been taking reps in Latrobe for training camp. Ray Fittipaldo said to Joe Starkey on 93.7 The Fan that Pittsburgh has a number two, and the big question is, who's the three? "So far, George Pickens is clearly the number one.
I think Van Jefferson has established himself as the number two." Van Jefferson does have the most career production outside of Pickens, so it makes sense why he would slot in as the number two. Fittipaldo also commented on the third spot, and it all depends on Wilson's ankle injury.
"And now we're trying to figure out, without Roman Wilson...
who's gonna step up and be that number three?" Wilson's ankle injury should only sideline the rookie wide receiver for a couple of weeks, so there's still a chance that he will be in the mix for the three spot. For now though, Calvin Austin III could jump into the third wide receiver spot as he heads into his third season in the Steel City. Steelers Might Not Need To Make A Move For Another Receiver Between Pickens, Jefferson, Wilson and Austin, there are a plethora of different skill sets in Pittsburgh's wide receiver room.
While it is true that three decent receivers doesn't equal one good wide receiver two. Pittsburgh can get away with utilizing the different skill sets they have in the passing game to make up for not having a super reliable second option. Austin has incredible speed, Jefferson is a savvy veteran and Wilson has a ton of talent as a slot receiver.
Having a great wide receiver two is a luxury that not every team can have, there just aren't 64 wide receivers in the NFL that are a bona-fide wide receiver one or two. Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith will need to get creative. Whether Jefferson proves to be a solid second option or not, The Steelers offense will have to win with a heavy dose of running the ball and creating good play-action pass concepts.
Conveniently, that is exactly what Smith has done in his career as a play caller. Smith is a play caller that has the ability to win games with less. He doesn't need an offense like the San Francisco 49ers or Kansas City Chiefs to take a team on a playoff run.
I'm sure he'd love to have weapons like those teams have, but he can move the chains and score points with his scheme. This article first appeared on SteelerNation.com and was syndicated with permission.
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