Former Steelers' Cornerback Bryant McFadden Thinks A Motivated Odell Beckham Jr Would Easily Fit In Mike Tomlin's Locker Room

The Pittsburgh Steelers need a wide receiver. It is a weird thing to say because the perception is that the Steelers are the best in the NFL at evaluating the position in the NFL Draft, but heading into 2023, they have George Pickens and Diontae Johnson. They are established as the top two options in the passing game and then high hopes for Calvin Austin III to be productive.

Bryant McFadden played six years in Pittsburgh and was an important piece of the last three Super Bowl teams for the Steelers. He won two rings for the black and gold and is now an analyst for CBS Sports. He joined the PM Team w/ Poni & Mueller recently and discussed what the potential priorities should be for the Steelers in free agency:

“Go get him [Kenny Pickett] more weapons please,” McFadden said. “The NFL is a copycat league. Do what other teams are doing, stockpiling talent around their young quarterback. We saw how that helped a Jalen Hurts a year ago. You look at Joe Burrow right up the road at Cincinnati. Go get him some guys who will make him more comfortable and also put points on the scoreboard.”

Andrew Fillipponi and his partner Chris Mueller are squarely on the Odell Beckham Jr. train and seemed incredulous that the Steelers skipped his workout. They asked the former Super Bowl champion if he would send scouts to watch Beckham work out:

“No question,” McFadden responded emphatically. “OBJ has been hampered with injuries. I still believe based on him being young enough to be talented, especially if he is 100%. No question, send a few guys out there to observe how is looking and how he is feeling. If you want to get the most out of your young quarterback, you have to continue to add dynamic playmakers around him.”

Fillipponi, who is notably the number one Kenny Pickett fan in the media, addressed the question more directly in his follow-up. He asked McFadden if Beckham looked good in the workout, should the Steelers sign him to help their young signal caller:

 “If you were to sign OBJ, you have all the leverage as an organization,” McFadden continued. “It’s not like he can command a huge deal based on the market or lack thereof. If he is available and he looks good, why not?”

Mueller quickly pointed out the considerable baggage of Beckham and how in Cleveland, specifically pairing him with a young quarterback who couldn’t get him the ball, was a disaster. He asked McFadden if that would give him pause and prevent him from pursuing the aging receiver:

“I have no concerns. One thing you never question with the Pittsburgh Steelers is the foundation,” McFadden said. “Not to mention the respect that Mike Tomlin commands and he is deserving of receiving. When he speaks, people listen and players listen. I have no concern about the locker room adjusting to him.”

Steelers' Secret Weapon In Free Agency Is Mike Tomlin And They Should Not Hesitate To Use Him

Mike Tomlin is well respected by players throughout the NFL and could probably handle the initial drama of Beckham demanding the ball if he felt he was underutilized. The mercurial wide receiver would bring a different set of problems to the long-time head coach. Antonio Brown’s issues only came to national attention when he left the Steelers, the media would be looking for any signs of Beckham being discontented with his role and seize the opportunity to point at Pickett. 

Pickett is a much bigger and better presence on offense than Baker Mayfield ever was and there are no whispers from his teammates that his ego is hurting the team. The problem for Pittsburgh is that Beckham would be the third receiver in Matt Canada’s offense. Unless it changes dramatically this offseason, the Steelers' offensive coordinator’s idea of getting other receivers involved in the game plan is handing them the ball on jet sweeps. 

Beckham and Pickens would be the four best hands ever assembled on one team. The thought of Canada splitting Pickens's targets in his second season is the wrong move and that is likely to happen with the current coordinator. The weapons would be great on paper, but it would be like putting a PS5 in front of a toddler.