Since the Pittsburgh Steelers traded Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers, they have been linked to some notable names as potential replacements for their former Pro Bowler.
The first name that came up was Tyler Boyd. He has been a longtime division rival for the team, but grew up in Pennsylvania and played college ball at Pitt and has expressed interest in returning to Pittsburgh to play for the Steelers.
He is a free agent and there had been a report of mutual interest between the player and the team, but now it seems there are differing opinions within the organization about signing him.
The Steelers are also scheduled to meet with former Chargers receiver Mike Williams this week, but they are going to face some competition for him as he also set meetings with three other teams.
Now it seems there could be an even bigger name in the works for the Steelers.
While appearing on the March 18 episode of “The Rich Eisen Show”, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac revealed that the team could be looking for a “bigger catch” at wide receiver while discussing the team’s interest in Williams.
“Or bigger is all I will tell you Rich and we shall see, but that is another step that they are going to make. Like I said, it might not even be Mike Williams, it might be a bigger catch if you will. No pun intended.”
The Steelers’ Wide Receiver Need
The Steelers are very thin at the wide receiver position right now.
When they trade Johnson, it left them with George Pickens and Calvin Austin as the only receivers who played meaningful snaps for the team last season.
Pickens is going to be a major factor for the offense in 2024 after topping 1000 yards for the first time last year, but Austin is still unproven.
They’ve recently added Van Jefferson, but he wasn’t all that productive for the Rams or the Falcons a year ago.
That has left them with a major need for at least a WR2 and potentially a WR3 as well.
Now it sounds like they could be going after a WR1 to replace Johnson instead.
Who Could it Be?
There isn’t a long list of available receivers that would be a bigger catch than Williams or Boyd.
The biggest name out there who has requested a trade this offseason is actually one of Boyd’s teammates former teammates. Bengals WR Tee Higgins requested a trade after being franchise tagged, but there is very little chance that the Bengals would trade him within the division.
Stefon Diggs is a name that has been at the center of rumors since the Bills’ season came to an end and a recent Twitter post started those rumors up again. Diggs had a rough ending to last season, topping 50 yards just three times the last 10 games, including the playoffs.
Trading for him would certainly be a big deal for the Steelers.
The most realistic big name out there is Brandon Aiyuk.
In an impressive group of pass catchers for the 49ers, Aiyuk has managed to establish himself as the clear top option. His 75 catches and 1342 yards in 2023 led the team in both categories and his 7 touchdown catches tied for the most on the team.
Aiyuk was named to the All-Pro Second Team.
He also shredded the Steelers’ defense in Week 1 with 8 catches for 129 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
The 49ers certainly don’t want to get rid of him, but their roster is expensive and soon they’re going to need to actually pay Brock Purdy, so there will be difficult decisions ahead for them.
They could decide to trade him now while his value is at its peak rather than wait and see if they can afford to sign him long-term.
Maybe there’s some surprise name out there the team thinks they could reel in.
Whoever it is, adding a top tier receiver would be another big step toward the Steelers building themselves into a contender this offseason.
Comments
Steelers Insider Believes Team Is After a ‘Bigger Catch’ at Wide Receiver