PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver corps is one of the biggest concerns for many heading into the 2024 season, especially after the Steelers failed to land San Francisco 49ers star wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk in a blockbuster trade. Most analysts have the Steelers wide receivers room as a bottom-tier unit, and it’s hard to blame them. It might be the worst group in the league.
Neither Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin III, Roman Wilson, or Scotty Miller put up over 210 yards in 2023. If George Pickens goes down with an injury, the Steelers could be in a world of trouble.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is not concerned about his wide receiver corps, however. Tomlin said during his Tuesday press conference that the WR room, specifically Jefferson and Miller, won him over during training camp, after admittedly being concerned about the group in the spring.
“I’m comfortable with the performance of these guys,” Tomlin said. “Had some questions even dating back to the spring, and to be quite honest with you, I probably went in the receiver room about a couple weeks into camp and told them that. I just believe in being really transparent. But the consistency in which those guys performed in Latrobe and throughout team development has made me more comfortable. Specifically, I’m talking about Scotty Miller and Van Jefferson. I just can’t say enough about the consistency in which they perform, their floor if you will, they behave like veteran NFL players, and that’s provided some comfort in the midst of the transition that comes with dealing with new people and getting acclimated in that way.”
The Steelers have been searching for additional wide receiver depth since trading Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers for cornerback Dante Jackson in March.
The team currently has just five receivers on its active roster, with George Pickens and Van Jefferson in line to start, followed by Calvin Austin III, currently injured rookie Roman Wilson, and Scotty Miller.
The Steelers wide receiver corps is the cheapest in the league. If things don’t pan out, the front office deserves to be called out for not having a proper plan to replace Johnson and not having a Plan B for Aiyuk. The Steelers and general manager Omar Khan spent months pursuing Aiyuk, and were unable to land him. They also missed out on a slew of promising wide receivers in the process.
Alan Saunders contributed reporting from Pittsburgh.