The Pittsburgh Steelers had a major need at the wide receiver position going into this offseason. Obviously, WR DK Metcalf is the top guy. However, three of the Steelers’ top five wide receivers in terms of targets from 2025 are gone.
General manager Omar Khan and his staff had their work cut out for them.
When the Steelers hired new head coach Mike McCarthy, Khan had a blueprint for what to look for while adding new wide receivers. At least, that’s what former NFL WR Steve Smith Jr. thinks.
Between McCarthy and QB Aaron Rodgers, Smith sees the top of the new-look Steelers’ wide receiver room as the Green Bay Packers of old. And it all starts with Metcalf.
“DK Metcalf is their Davante Adams…” Smith said Friday on his 89 With Steve Smith show. “Quick release, some passes down the middle of the field, some explosive plays.”
Metcalf actually averages more yards per catch than Davante Adams does (14.4 to 12.4). But the biggest thing for Adams was that he earned Aaron Rodgers’ trust as the No. 1 receiver in Green Bay.
From 2016 to 2021, the fewest targets Rodgers gave Adams in a single season were 117. Thankfully, according to Ray Fittipaldo, Rodgers is showing more chemistry with Metcalf through the offseason workouts. That’s not to say that Rodgers is going to force-feed Metcalf to the tune of 120-plus targets this season, but Rodgers did target Metcalf 99 times in 2025, their first year together. So maybe.
As for the next wide receiver on the Steelers, Smith sees a safety blanket for Rodgers.
“Michael Pittman Jr., he’s their Jordy Nelson,” Smith said. “He’s their guy that’s gonna get in there, tight windows. He can show you a little bit of speed, but at the end of the day, he’s gonna box you out. He’s gonna get on the third down. He’s gonna high point the football, and reliable safety valve for the quarterback.”
Jordy Nelson was a first-down machine for the Packers and Rodgers. He picked up 60-plus first downs for the Packers in three straight seasons and scored 13-plus touchdowns in two of those seasons. Pittman may not quite match up to Nelson’s ultra-productive years, but there are similarities in size there. Plus, Pittman hasn’t had a whole lot of quarterback stability in his career, unlike Nelson.
However, Pittman did have a three-year streak of 50-plus first downs with the Indianapolis Colts from 2021 to 2023.
Finally, Smith compared the Steelers’ newest (and youngest) wide receiver, Germie Bernard, to the smallest wide receiver of Green Bay’s, Randall Cobb.
“He’s gonna do things, sudden movement, create a little bit of YAC,” Smith said. “He’s quick, capture the line of scrimmage, take off. He’s gonna beat his guy immediately off the first couple of steps.”
This isn’t the first time Smith has drawn comparisons between Bernard and Cobb, either. Cobb was a force after the catch, averaging 5.4 yards after the catch in the six years Pro Football Reference tracked the metric during Cobb’s career.
Smith isn’t the only one comparing the two, either. Fittipaldo thinks Bernard could turn out much like Cobb, between his ability and willingness to make plays over the middle of the field and his intelligence.
Omar Khan and Mike McCarthy have turned back the clock for Aaron Rodgers’ final year in the NFL, at least in the wide receiver room.
“So, it’s a very good thing for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Mike McCarthy to have guys that mimic exactly what they were when they were together in Green Bay,” Smith said.
We will have to wait and see just how successful this offense will be in 2026. There’s no question that the talent level is much better than last year.
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