With George Pickens off to Dallas, the Pittsburgh Steelers have a void at wide receiver. Ian Rapoport thinks the team is gearing up for a move to replace his snaps.
“I would be surprised if the Steelers are done at the receiver position. Likely to at least sign one more and there are a couple talented receivers still on the market,” Rapoport told Good Morning Football’s Kyle Brandt.
Following the bulk of free agency and the draft, the Steelers’ options are limited. They could call Green Bay about its deep wide receiver corps, New York for the Jets’ Allen Lazard, or pursue a free agent like Gabe Davis or Amari Cooper. Even with Roman Wilson and Calvin Austin III on the roster and Robert Woods signed shortly after the draft, the wide receiver room carries serious questions beyond No. 1 DK Metcalf.
Steelers reporter Gerry Dulac pushed back on the notion of a third receiver offseason trade while the team reportedly has confidence in Wilson following an injury-plagued rookie year.
It’s a similar predicament as a year ago when Pittsburgh spent all offseason and up until the trade deadline searching for a Diontae Johnson replacement. The Steelers struck out on Brandon Aiyuk, Davante Adams, and others until making the mild move of adding Mike Williams at the trade deadline.
With OTAs beginning later this month, the Steelers face uncertainty at quarterback and one of their starting receiver spots. Ideally, both questions are answered by the end of the month. Aaron Rodgers making a decision coupled with Pittsburgh acquiring a receiver through sign or trade would allow a radically new-look offense to hit the ground running during crucial team-development times.
But just in the way a Pickens deal couldn’t get done during an ideal time frame, there’s no guarantee Pittsburgh is able to fill in the gaps on its terms, either. The Steelers seem intent on waiting for Rodgers as long as he needs and a receiver trade will be tough to pull off this time of year as teams prefer to evaluate their roster and talent rather than ship pieces out in the spring.
