The Steelers have officially become runners-up for Brandon Aiyuk, so questions will remain with respect to their receiver depth. The team will have options available on the practice squad once the season begins, though. 
Ben Skowronek was added to Pittsburgh’s taxi squad on Friday, per a team announcement. The 27-year-old spent his first three seasons with the Rams, making 11 starts in 2022. His offensive snap share for the other two campaigns was only 19%, however, and Los Angeles made the decision to move on this offseason. Skowronek was dealt to the Texans in May.
The former seventh-rounder joined a crowded receiver room in Houston, and both he and Noah Brown were among the Texans’ final roster cuts. Skowronek cleared waivers, leaving him free to sign with any team. He will now attempt to earn a promotion to Pittsburgh’s active roster while the team sorts out its receiver pecking order. George Pickens will operate as the Steelers’ top wideout, with Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin, Scotty Miller and third-round rookie Roman Wilson in place as complementary options.
The Steelers also announced that Quez Watkins has inked a practice squad deal. The former Eagle signed with Pittsburgh in free agency, a move which he believed offered him the opportunity of a starting spot. Instead, Watkins was one of the team’s cuts earlier this week. As a vested veteran, he immediately hit the open market; like many players around the league, the 26-year-old has elected to remain with the same organization by taking a taxi squad deal.
Watkins averaged an impressive 15 yards per catch during his second year in the league. His role shrank over the past two seasons, though, leaving him out of Philadelphia’s plans for 2024 and beyond. It will be interesting to see if he and/or Skowronek mange to find themselves on the active roster relatively soon or if Pittsburgh’s other receivers prove to be sufficient in a scheme now led by quarterback Russell Wilson and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
The “khan” artist got beat at his own game. How you roll with this WR group is beyond me.
I don’t think Aiyuk would have been the one to put the team over the top but this WR group is a joke.
Also extremely bad at CB.
Glad they spent on all the OL but they can’t catch or cover guys
Their WR group is one of the worst in the NFL, and their only WR is 1 year away from threatening a holdout for a long term contract that I wouldn’t give him because he is a mentally ticking time bomb. Aiyuk wasn’t going to put them over the top though. The fact is the Steelers are in the worst possible position a team can be in. They have no future QB, and are not talented enough to be a title contender, but have just enough talent to win enough games to keep them picking far enough out of range to, most likely, find a good enough QB in the draft that can give them a chance one day at a title. They are, most likely, going to be a non factor for a long time.
Oh, and yes, their CB group after Joey Porter is just as awful as their WR group.