The Pittsburgh Steelers head into Week 1 against the Atlanta Falcons with a ton of question marks at wide receiver. That was magnified by the trade of former Pro Bowler Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers this past spring.
Johnson had joined George Pickens in providing a pretty solid starting duo in Pittsburgh. At the time that trade was made, most figured general manager Omar Khan would find a suitable replacement.
Despite attempting to trade for San Francisco 49ers star Brandon Aiyuk, nothing came to fruition on this end. Instead, the Steelers made lesser moves in signing veteran Van Jefferson and selecting wide receiver Roman Wilson out of Alabama in the 2024 NFL Draft.
But it wasn’t for a lack of effort.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Pittsburgh was one of many teams in on Denver Broncos Pro Bowl wide receiver Courtland Sutton.
Again, nothing materialized on this end. Sutton ultimately agreed to a restructured contract with the Broncos, meaning that he will not be traded.
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Wide receiver likely to be a weakness for the Pittsburgh Steelers this season
Adding Sutton or Aiyuk to the mix would’ve changed things up big time for new starting quarterback Russell Wilson and the Steelers. Alas, it was not to be.
Pickens heads into Week 1 as the Steelers’ top receiver. While he did record 63 receptions for 1,140 yards a season ago, drama seemed to take hold. Too often, Pickens displayed a ton of frustration over Steelers quarterback play. Lack of effort was also a major talking point. It impacted his performance.
Calvin Austin is the Steelers’ second-leading returning pass-catcher at wide receiver. He hauled in 17 receptions a season ago.
That’s about the extent of it as it relates to holdovers.
The signing of Van Jefferson (20 catches last season) doesn’t really move the needle. Perhaps, the Steelers will get immediate production from rookie third-round pick Roman Wilson. We’ve seen them turn out solid wide receivers who produce early.