The Pittsburgh Steelers walked away from Week 1 with several injuries, as Cam Heyward and Diontae Johnson were the most notable ones. Unfortunately, they were the most severe injuries as well. While it seems like Johnson avoided a significant issue, he will likely still be out for a few weeks with a hamstring issue. At first glance, when he went down against the San Francisco 49ers, many were worried that it could be a season-ending injury.
Johnson's not the only wide receiver that's ailing in Pittsburgh though, as Miles Boykin is dealing with a lower body injury that had him in a boot after Sunday's loss. That means two of the six wideouts are possibly out for the team's Week 2 matchup. Somewhat surprisingly, the Steelers haven't entertained the wide receiver market as much as expected. On Tuesday, former Pittsburgh wideout Anthony Miller tweeted out an emoji, presumably hinting for the team to contact him.
The Steelers released Miller back in June ahead of training camp. Before that, he was impressive last summer with the team. Unfortunately, he suffered a season-ending injury just ahead of the 2022 campaign. With more options in the room this summer, he never really got a full chance to prove himself. The 49ers signed him, but then cut ties with him just over a week later. The Steelers ended up keeping the likes of Boykin and Gunner Olszewski over Miller.
At this point, the team seems content with their wide receiver room, even without Johnson for a few weeks. In his press conference on Tuesday, Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin brought up his confidence in their in-house guys. He specifically mentioned Olszewski, even though he didn't see the field in Week 1. In fact, he was one of the team's gameday inactives.
To be clear, the team has brought in some outside competition. On Tuesday, they signed former Tennessee Titans wide receiver Jacob Copeland to the practice squad. Still, that's not exactly a move that will help replace the absence of Johnson. The addition of Copeland means there are now three wide receivers on the 16-man practice squad. Dez Fitzpatrick and Simi Fehoko are the other two guys, and they're probably more likely to be called up to the active roster than Copeland is.
Fitzpatrick, a fourth-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, spent the duration of the summer with Pittsburgh. He was unable to make the 53-man roster, but was fortunate enough to land on the practice squad. He hasn't done much in his NFL career to this point, as he has just five total catches. Fehoko and Copeland have just three career NFL catches between them, so it's not like they will provide an immediate impact either. While Miller would technically be considered an outside signing, he already has plenty of familiarity with the offense.
Despite his experience in Pittsburgh, he actually has only appeared in one game with the team. Injuries have played a large role in that, but he has 140 career receptions. One thing is clear: he's trying to send a message that he would welcome a return to Pittsburgh. The coaching staff seems to be confident in the likes of Calvin Austin III and Allen Robinson stepping up. If things don't improve offensively in Week 2 though, Miller could be a guy to keep an eye on.
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