As we approach Week 1 of the 2025 NFL preseason, the staff at ESPN took the liberty of breaking down the biggest camp battle to watch on all 32 NFL teams. They hit the nail on the head for the Pittsburgh Steelers—discussing the training camp battle fans have been talking about for weeks.
Brooke Pryor of ESPN wrote about the team's No. 2 receiver as the positional battle to watch. This is a pivotal role that holds a ton of weight in how the offense could perform this year. Unfortunately, the candidates are slim and less than desirable for such a role.
The frontrunner to line up opposite DK Metcalf as the team's WR2 is Calvin Austin III. The Memphis product and 2022 fourth-round pick is entering a contract year and will be looking to build on the encouraging performance he had in his third season in 2023.
Wide receivers' coach Zach Azzanni made it clear entering camp that Austin was in pole position to work as the No. 2 receiver on the roster.
His biggest competition also happens to be one of the biggest unknowns on the Steelers' roster—Roman Wilson. The 2024 third-round pick was the top wide receiver for a championship Michigan team in 2023 before entering the NFL Draft. Unfortunately, almost all of his rookie season was lost due to injuries, and Wilson has only five offensive snaps under his belt entering year two.
Meanwhile, veteran Robert Woods could emerge as a long-shot candidate to earn the No. 2 receiver role from the gate, but the 33-year-old may already be on his last legs, coming off a season that included just 203 yards in 15 games with the Texans.
Now it's a matter of letting the rest of training camp and the preseason play out to see which receiver will earn a role on the starting offense.
The Pittsburgh Steelers' WR battle is easier to figure out than you think
Assuming he's healthy, there's no doubt that DK Metcalf is going to lead the team in targets this year. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has favored Metcalf heavily with opportunities at Steelers training camp, and Pittsburgh didn't hand him nearly $33 million per season not to be involved.
After that, the next pass catchers on the team may not even be wide receivers at all. The Steelers have over $24 million per year tied up between Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith. When the season's all said and done, they could prove to be the No. 2 and No. 3 leading receivers on offense.
In a run-heavy Arthur Smith offense, this doesn't leave a ton of targets to go around for the rest of the wide receivers on the team. Judging by how things have transpired at training camp so far, it looks like Calvin Austin III will be the official No. 2 wide receiver early in the season, with Roman Wilson as the No. 2 receiver.
During training camp 11-on-11s, Austin has been working opposite DK Metcalf in two-receiver sets. When the Steelers deploy 11 personnel (three receivers on the field), Wilson joins Metcalf and Austin as the starters—usually as the outside 'Z' receiver, with Metcalf as the 'X' and Austin working the slot.
Because this has been the lineup at Steelers camp, I don't see any reason the Steelers would pull either of their young receivers (Wilson or Austin) for veteran players (like Robert Woods or Ben Skowronek) unless their performance wasn't cutting it.
The Pittsburgh Steelers are still in need of a wide receiver upgrade, but this is the training camp battle fans have had their eyes on all along, leading up to the preseason. We'll soon see how it shakes out.
