Steelers Have Competition for One of Top WRs on Market

If the Pittsburgh Steelers hope to land one of the top free agents still on the board at the wide receiver position, they’re going to have some competition from with in the AFC North.

Former Detroit Lions wide receiver Josh Reynolds is taking a free agent visit on Friday with the Baltimore Ravens, according to a report by Adam Schefter of ESPN. The Steelers have not had any confirmed interest with Reynolds, but they have been talking to other wide receivers on the open market.

The Steelers have been in contract talks with former Cincinnati Bengals slot receiver Tyler Boyd and had a meeting schedule with ex-Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams this week, before he signed with the New York Jets.

The Steelers have also been involved in at least some conversations with the San Francisco 49ers regarding the trade of star receiver Brandon Aiyuk.

General manager Omar Khan will be replacing three of his top wide receivers from the 2023 season. Diontae Johnson was traded to the Carolina Panthers in exchange for cornerback Donte Jackson, veteran slot receiver Allen Robinson II was released and No. 5 wide receiver and special teams ace Miles Boykin remains a free agent.

The Steelers have already made one move, signing former Los Angeles Rams receiver Van Jefferson to a one-year contract. They will likely need to make two more additions to the receivers room in upcoming months.

Reynolds, 29, was a fourth-round pick of the Rams in the 2017 NFL Draft, and has bounced around the league. He played his first four seasons in L.A., and had his best season there in 2020, when he caught 52 passes for 618 yards and two touchdowns.

A free agent for the first time, Reynolds signed with the Tennessee Titans in 2021, but appeared in just five games with the Titans before being placed on waivers. The Lions scooped him up, and he played the final seven games of the season in Detroit.

He re-signed with the Lions on a two-year, $6 million contract. Over the last two seasons, he played 31 games, making 24 starts. Reynolds caught 78 passes for 1,087 yards and eight touchdowns.

At 6-foot-3, 194 pounds, Reynolds has the size to play outside receiver, but he has also spent time in the slot, including a career-high 36% of his reps in 2023.

Pro Football Focus projected that Reynolds will receive a two-year, $10.5 million contract in free agency.