It turns out that the Pittsburgh Steelers are lukewarm on signing free-agent wide receiver Tyler Boyd, according to Mark Kaboly of The Athletic.
“Some people (not all) inside Steelers not 100% on board with signing Tyler Boyd. There is still time to work things and everything is still on the table but it doesn’t appear anywhere close to a sure thing like it appeared to be a week ago at this time,” Kaboly wrote on X.
Last week, it was reported and confirmed to Steelers Now that the Steelers and Boyd had mutual interest, but nothing has happened just yet.
Of course, there are many factors to consider. Part of it is what teams are calling Boyd and, more than that, what factors Boyd is considering in his next landing spot. But contract price is a big factor, too.
A second-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, Boyd has been Cincinnati’s primary slot receiver for six years, working inside Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins in the team’s usual starting. The 29-year-old has been one of the most consistent slot receivers in the NFL. He has recorded at least 50 catches and 600 receiving yards in seven of his eight seasons. His best years came in 2018-19 when he exceeded 1,000 yards for the only two times in his career lineup.
The Steelers have competition from the New England Patriots. According to Mark Daniels of MassLive.com, the Patriots have shown some interest in Boyd. Kaboly also noted last week that the biggest hurdle in Boyd to Steelers conversation are the Kansas City Chiefs with dark horse being the New York Jets.
“At this point, the level of ‘interest’ is the team is doing its due diligence on the 29-year-old veteran, who’s played all eight NFL seasons in Cincinnati,” Daniels wrote.
Boyd would give the Patriots another slot receiver to go with Demario Douglas. The Patriots also have Kendrick Bourne, Jalen Reagor, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Tyquan Thornton, Kayshon Boutte, Kawaan Baker and T.J. Luther on their wide receiver depth chart.
The Steelers’ wide receivers room lacks more depth than even the Patriots right now. George Pickens and Calvin Austin III are their only returning receivers that received playing time in 2023. They’ll need to be urgent in the Boyd sweepstakes if they want to land him.
If the Steelers miss out on a receiver in free agency, they’ll have to draft at least two receivers. And it wouldn’t be surprising if they selected one in the first round.
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