Will the Steelers elevate WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling?
The Steelers have done everything they can to temper enthusiasm for Marquez Valdes-Scantling, but today, they have to decide. Will they elevate him to the 53-man roster and have him play against the Bengals, or not? After last week’s performance by the wide receiver group, it may well be tempting to try something different.
At the very least, we know Valdes-Scantling will have a rapport with the Steelers’ quarterback. After all, they played together for four years. Some guy named Aaron Rodgers or something — his wife is nice.
In the Steelers’ last game, the wide receivers combined for 84 yards, including a decent amount in garbage time. Roman Wilson caught a 27-yard touchdown pass while the team trailed by 22 with minutes to go. But would elevating and playing Valdes-Scantling just be a kneejerk reaction to a bad week?
After all, there is a reason that he was available. He was on a team earlier this year — they let him go. Would the Steelers have even had much interest in him if not for Aaron Rodgers? Valdes-Scantling has never even had a 700-yard season before, so what can we really expect? How much of an upgrade could he be from Scotty Miller, if we’re being honest?
Make no mistake, Marquez Valdes-Scantling is not going to put the Steelers over the top, in any sense imaginable. But it’s possible that he could make the offense marginally better, I suppose, and that’s better than getting worse. They seem to be heading in the wrong direction lately, so having another trusted target could help.
But just because he has familiarity with Rodgers doesn’t mean Valdes-Scantling is up to speed on the Steelers’ offense. And if you’ve paid attention to how the coaches talk about him, it’s all been pretty dismissive. Whenever a reporter has brought him up, coaches would broaden the answer to talk about “all the players” on the practice squad. Are they just tempering expectations, or is he really just a practice squad player?
After another disappointing season and months of retooling, the Steelers are set to try it all again in 2025. Though they limped into the playoffs, they once again embarrassed themselves therein.
Just like last year, the biggest question hanging over the Steelers isthe quarterback question. They settled in on Aaron Rodgers, but we still have a lot to learn about him. The2025 NFL Draft class could play a big role, but veteran additions like Jalen Ramsey will be paramount.
Now we are in the regular season. From Rodgers to George Pickens to Minkah Fitzpatrick and Ramsey, we’ve seen the Steelers make some big changes. Now it’s about evaluating the roster in place and figuring out how it all works out.
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