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The Pittsburgh Steelers have multiple needs at wide receiver after trading away Diontae Johnson and releasing Allen Robinson II at the end of the 2023 season. They have signed Van Jefferson, Scotty Miller, and Quez Watkins into one-year deals but have remained in the market. Yet, the Steelers trade market is not one that is active right now, with most of the candidates tied up in contract situations.
The Steelers checked in on San Francisco 49ers wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, and have also showed an interest in other top names like Courtland Sutton.
It appears that the Steelers are set at wide receiver for the time being, but a trade could be made down the road.
“I still think a trade is a possibility. Not soon. I think they’re going to take a look at things here in [Organized Team Activities], minicamp and training camp, and if they don’t like what they see, I could see them doing some wheeling and dealing in late July, early August,” Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said on 93.7 The Fan.
There’s pretty much nothing on the open market, so a trade will have to be the route the Steelers go to bolster their wide receiver room. As it stands now, their WR corps is a bottom-tier group. And it is reflected in their cap hits, too. Pittsburgh has the second-lowest wide receiver cap hits in the entire NFL.
most expensive WR rooms in 2024:
1. SF – $55.0M
2. SEA – $54.7M
3. DAL – $51.2M
4. MIA – $48.8M
5. CHI – $45.6M
6. LV – $42.1M
7. LAR – $40.9M
8. TB – $40.9M
9. TEN – $40.5M
10. CIN – $39.3M
11. JAX – $39.0M
12. CLE – $38.9M
13. WAS – $38.6M
14. DEN – $35.9M
15. MIN – $34.6M
16.…— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) May 12, 2024
As for trade targets, could that increase that? Those mentioned above. But there are other targets they could circle and try to land that would not add much to their cap hit at the position, even thought that is not completely indicative of talent level.
The Houston Texans have Stefon Diggs on their roster, which could open up one of the Texans receivers to be traded. After trading for Rams wide receiver Ben Skowronek on Thursday, the team now has a glut of eight or so receivers that will not all make the roster. There will be one or two of those players who will not make it at the end of the day. The Steelers’ trade options are plentiful in this situation.
Do you want someone with an upside? That would be former second-round pick John Metchie III, who has now been pushed to sixth on the depth chart by the Diggs acquisition. Maybe someone they re-signed but has some flexibility to be moved? Noah Brown. Perhaps even a veteran can provide blocking and a certain floor? Robert Woods. The Steelers trade options range across the spectrum in Houston. But let’s throw Brown to the side since he re-signed with Houston. That would leave Woods and Metchie.
A 2022 second-round pick, Metchie missed his entire rookie season after tearing his ACL in the SEC Championship Game at the end of his college career in 2021 and then receiving a leukemia diagnosis the following May. Last summer, he was cleared to return to football after beating cancer, but was used only sparingly by the Texans. He caught 16 of 30 targets for 158 yards, and also played on Houston’s punt and kick return special teams units.
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