If there’s one thing the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense needs to fix in 2026, besides scoring more points, it is the elimination of what I call “empty routes.” Receivers on the field and logging snaps with little return. If not empty, then “inefficient.”
That’s felt true the past two seasons. For 2025, we put data to the eye test. Our Clayton Eckert provided the information for the Steelers’ receivers and their ranking of yards per route run last season. Across the entire NFL, there were 273 wide receivers and tight ends with 50-plus routes. Here’s where Pittsburgh’s names stacked up.
Steelers Yards Per Route, 2026 (WRs & TEs, 50-plus routes)
Player Yards/Route Rank
DK Metcalf 46th (1.83)
Darnell Washington 54th (1.72)
Pat Freiermuth 88th (1.48)
Ben Skowronek 136th (1.23)
Calvin Austin III 140th (1.22)
Roman Wilson 165th (1.07)
Adam Thielen 226th (0.75)
Jonnu Smith 228th (.73)
Scotty Miller 240th (.59)
Marquez Valdes-Scantling 248th (.52)
Ugly across the board. Metcalf was the only name in the top 50. Only three Steelers landed in the top 100. A whopping seven of them ended up in the bottom half, with four in the bottom 20 percent.
Even understanding that Thielen and Valdes-Scantling didn’t spend the entire year in Pittsburgh, they didn’t suddenly become more efficient once joining the Steelers. Both finished the year among the NFL’s worst offenders. As did Jonnu Smith. Just another stat on what might be the worst season by a tight end in modern history.
That has to change. Pittsburgh must get more bang for its buck, and receiver contributions must be more meaningful. Too often, it felt like Pittsburgh’s offense played with nine or ten men, knowing that a handful of wide receivers simply weren’t going to make plays. Aaron Rodgers’ quick release and short throws might be one reason, but this problem predates him. Just look at Van Jefferson in 2024. I quickly calculated his yards/route run, coming in at 0.67. That was worse than everyone on the ’25 list except for Miller and Valdes-Scantling.
Fortunately, that problem could be solved by Mike McCarthy. A smarter and open vertical passing game will prevent these numbers from looking so ugly. Players at the back end of the depth chart might still not rank highly on the list; not everyone will be in the top half, but the majority can’t sit near the bottom or in the basement.
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