The Pittsburgh Steelers are once again looking for a solid wide receiver this offseason. They failed to secure top talent during the 2024 season after trading Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers. Last year, they struggled to find offensive success with George Pickens being their only real reliable target. Opposing defenses figured out if they could take Pickens out of the picture, either by emotionally getting to him, or shutting him down on the field, then the offense often failed to move the ball as a whole.
Most insiders expect the franchise to double dip, finding a veteran in free agency or as a trade prospect, and a rookie in the 2025 NFL Draft. Just like the 2024 offseason, there are a ton of names being floated for the Steelers, like Brandon Aiyuk, Christian Kirk, and DK Metcalf, who recently requested to be traded. The Steelers are often being shown to take a receiver early in the draft, like Emeka Egbuka, Matthew Golden, or Luther Burden III, with their first pick, 21st overall.
While Pickens could still be traded to another team, Mark Kaboly from The Pat McAfee Show told The Pomp and Joe Show on 93.7 The Fan that he thinks there's a 97% chance Pickens is back in black and gold this season. He was also asked about Roman Wilson, who was drafted in 2024 in the third round and spent most of his time on injured reserve. Recently, Steelers' reporter Bob Labriola said Wilson didn't play because the team did not have confidence in his understanding of the offense and the playbook. That hit like a bombshell, and fans assumed it meant that Wilson wasn't intelligent. Show co-host Joe Starkey asked Kaboly on a scale of 1-5 how concerning that comment was.
"I would say not much, a one," said Kaboly. "That tends to happen a lot of times with rookies, then they figure it out after a year. I wouldn't worry too much."
There are concerns that Wilson's reputation with the Steelers has been damaged by all the time he missed. Other reporters have said the Steelers won't be put off by his injury or by him missing most of his rookie season. Wilson couldn't help being injured, and then once it was clear he was going to miss so much time, it didn't make sense to try to bring him back.
This is in spite of the fact that the team desperately needed his services, which is what confused and frustrated fans. With few other reliable receiving options, the Steelers were likely expecting Wilson to be a contributor. However, an NFL playbook is challenging to learn; it is no secret that the step from college to the pros is a big one, even if your team just won a National Championship.
Wilson was highly anticipated coming out of Michigan. He showed excellent speed, 4.39 on the 40-yard dash, with good hands. He was explosive with good separation. While he may not have been a first-round talent, Wilson had a lot of upside. Having him return for 2025 is almost like getting another draft pick.
Steelers Need To Focus On Quality
General Manager Omar Khan indicated that the quarterback signing would be the first domino, and then once they knew who'd be under center, they could determine the rest. However, Steelers fans seem desperate for the team to just sign another receiver.
Others feel that the team needs to focus on quality this time around. They couldn't have known that Pickens would be so resistant to feedback and growing up, but they also shouldn't deal with that again. This has led to several analysts saying that Pittsburgh needs to focus on maturity this time around and not just talent. This would allow them to have someone hopefully mentor Pickens.
