**How grimy will the Steelers’ wide receivers be this year?**
Normally a term associated with household cleaning products, the Steelers’ wide receivers want to be “grimy” this season, as we are hearing. Every wide receiver we have heard from so far has shared a similar sentiment, even if the spirit isn’t new. They want the group to play tough and play physical, even when they don’t have the ball.
Now, we can certainly say that particular Steelers’ receivers of the past may have been less grimy. And we may also even speculate that their lack of grime could have contributed to them no longer being Steelers. With the team’s vision for the offense, the Steelers believe they need guys who are willing to scrap in the mud.
The question is, do they have those guys, now? Will DK Metcalf and Roman Wilson and Robert Woods make the Steelers wide receiver room as grimy as they need? For a team that wants to run the ball, they’re going to need receivers who commit to blocking, for example.
The efforts of the blockers on the perimeter can be the difference between a big play and a busted play. That’s why the Steelers want to build a room of grimy wide receivers, guys who understand the important dirty work.
We already know that they have some guys who have the want-to, like Ben Skowronek and Calvin Austin III. The latter may be undersized, but his heart isn’t. Arthur Smith said last season that Skowronek has a little dirtbag in him. And all of the Steelers’ receivers have talked about the grimy culture Zach Azzanni is building. Woods, for his part, declared himself the grimiest, so we shall see.
Of course, the Steelers need their wide receivers to do more than just the grimy work. The passing game will have to matter at some point, and making big plays will be key. They have guys like Metcalf and Austin who can deliver down the field, while Wilson and Woods can work underneath.
Because if all of your receivers are glorified tight ends and your tight ends are glorified linemen, what do you have? Sure, the Steelers need grimy wide receivers, but they can’t allow themselves to be one-dimensional, either.
_The Steelers are rebuilding, or reloading, whatever they feel the need to call it, after another disappointment last season. Though they limped into the playoffs, they once again embarrassed themselves therein._
_Just like last year, the biggest question hanging over the Steelers is_ [_the quarterback question_](https://steelersdepot.com/2025/04/schrager-thinks-steelers-passing-on-qb-in-1st-round-means-theyre-all-in-on-aaron-rodgers/)_. While they ultimately traded George Pickens, they have other decisions to make. The_ [_2025 NFL Draft class_](https://www.steelers.com/draft/) _is now behind us, so most of the roster construction is complete._
_But we still have a long offseason ahead for Steelers football, or football in shorts. At least we can finally put the Aaron Rodgers situation to bed, and move on to other things. Now it’s about evaluating the roster in place and filling holes as we go._