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Since the start of free agency, Pittsburgh Steelers fans have been waiting to see who would be the team’s next WR2.
The team left themselves a major need at the position when they traded Diontae Johnson to the Panthers on March 12.
But the Steelers are “really trying to make something happen,” according to Audacy’s Jason La Canfora.
“For me, there’s a piece of information we don’t have yet, which is: Do they trade for a wide receiver before the draft? It would not surprise me if they did that tomorrow, if they did it the Wednesday before the draft,” <a href="http://” target=”_blank”>La Canfora said on the April 9 episode of the “In the Huddle” podcast. “If they did it while they were on the clock, if they did it in the run up to the draft that Thursday, I know that they’re really trying to make something happen there.”
A Big Gap on the Depth Chart at Wide Receiver
Things looked pretty good at wide receiver for the Steelers entering the offseason.
George Pickens had established himself as a true WR1 by racking up 1,140 yards in 2023.
Johnson was a strong option at WR2, having made a Pro Bowl appearance in 2021 after a 1,000-yard season of his own.
All the team really needed was a new WR3, as Allen Robinson struggled in 2023, making only 34 catches for 280 yards and eventually getting released this offseason.
Now that Johnson and Robinson aren’t on the roster anymore, they have a big gap between Pickens and the rest of the depth chart. No other receiver on the roster — including veteran Van Jefferson and second-year player Calvin Austin III — recorded at least 250 yards last season.
The primary issue is the lack of trade options.
Potential Trade Options for the Steelers
The San Francisco 49ers’ Brandon Aiyuk, who is entering the final year of his rookie contract, had been linked to the Steelers in March, but “the move slowly died off,” according to an April 10 report from Sports Illustrated’s Noah Strackbein.
Aiyuk would represent an upgrade over other receivers on the roster after racking up 1,342 yards in 2023.
No other receivers have been involved in reports tied to the Steelers.
Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport predicted that Tee Higgins of the Cincinnati Bengals would eventually land in Pittsburgh in 2025, and Steeler Nation’s Anthony G. Halkias II suggested the Steelers could consider trading for Courtland Sutton of the Denver Broncos.
However, the Broncos traded away receiver Jerry Jeudy to the Cleveland Browns, leaving Denver with Sutton as its best option.
In terms of WR3 options, the Steelers could see what the Texans want for Robert Woods or John Metchie now that they have Stefon Diggs.
Woods made 40 catches for 426 yards last season, but is probably the WR5 for the Texans now. Metchie was a second round pick in 2022, but has only played 310 snaps in two years. He is also buried on the depth chart.
The team is widely expected to make drafting a wide receiver among its priorities.
“Pickens will be No. 1. And they will get a WR before the second day of the draft is over,” Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote on April 11.
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