The Steelers traded for a starting wide receiver with Michael Pittman Jr., but that is just a launching point. There is still work to do in that room, even just from a pure numbers standpoint. With Calvin Austin III leaving and no indication they will re-sign others, this is a depleted group. Not that Scotty Miller or Marquez Valdes-Scantling would have made the Steelers a better team in 2026.
With Pittman, the Steelers have a steady one-two punch at wide receiver with DK Metcalf. Beyond that, though, they have nobody who is proven. Roman Wilson, a third-year, former third-round pick, is ostensibly third on the depth chart. While they’re not giving up on him, he has yet to earn anything. So this trade was a move, but a first move, says Cam Heyward.
“I also loved the Michael Pittman trade,” the Steelers’ defensive captain said on his Not Just Football podcast. “We needed another receiver. I think we only have like, four receivers on the roster. … It’s a good start, getting Michael Pittman.”
The Steelers’ fourth wide receiver Heyward references is Ben Skowronek, a Pro Bowl special-teams player. And he is not a return man, so you know what that means about his offensive contributions. Beyond that, the room is filled with names that are not exactly known in every household. Don’t expect to buy a Brandon Smith or John Rhys Plumlee jersey, for example, unless you’re a relative.
The question is, will the Steelers sign another veteran wide receiver in free agency before the draft? With 12 selections, many very much expect them to draft two, maybe even three. And wide receiver is very much in contention as early as the first round for the Steelers.
Michael Pittman wanted to come to the Steelers, partly because Mike McCarthy gave him the impression he would make the wide receivers happy. Playing with a revolving door of quarterbacks, Pittman hasn’t had the best luck on that front. Granted, they still don’t know who their quarterback is going to be, a not-unrelated concern.
Historically, the Steelers have a reputation for being a team that drafts wide receivers well. But gone are the days of Antonio Brown, Mike Wallace, and Emmanuel Sanders. Though not always on the field, their recent track record is poor. Roman Wilson is teetering on the brink of joining the growing list of disappointments, but he still has time.
But neither George Pickens nor Calvin Austin signed second contracts. Chase Claypool is a wide receiver the Steelers were fortunate to unload when his value was at its highest. Diontae Johnson had some success, but he raised concerns both on and off the field with his behavior. JuJu Smith-Schuster had some good seasons, but fell off, partly due to injuries. And before them were Sammie Coates, Markus Wheaton, and Martavis Bryant.
That’s why the Steelers have traded for wide receivers in consecutive years with DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. If they were better at drafting them, they wouldn’t need to acquire veterans. They need to start changing their fortune on that front, however, starting next month.
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