OCTOBER 14: During his latest appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirmed (video link) the Steelers are in the market for a wideout. With three weeks remaining until the deadline, it will be interesting to see if Khan swings another in-season addition at that spot.
OCTOBER 9: The receiver position has been a major talking point for the Steelers dating back to well before the start of the current campaign. D.K. Metcalf has performed well to date, but the matter of depth could prove to be an issue as the season progresses. 
Pittsburgh was heavily linked to Brandon Aiyuk last summer before he ultimately inked a 49ers extension. The Steelers were then close to a Christian Kirk acquisition before the 2024 trade deadline, but his season-ending injury made that a moot point. Once again, it appears the team will be one to watch on the trade front at the receiver position.
Mark Kaboly of the Pat McAfee Show “fully anticipates” the Steelers engaging in conversations about all available wideouts between now and the November 4 trade deadline. Metcalf is under contract for the foreseeable future, but Calvin Austin is attached to the final year of his rookie deal and no new commitment on the team’s part is expected at this point. Austin is expected to miss time coming off the bye, although Kaboly adds his injury is not believed to be serious.
That should open the door for Roman Wilson to take on an expanded role in the passing game. The 2024 third-rounder was limited to just one game as a rookie, though, and he has recorded only one catch so far in 2025. Per Kaboly, the underlying cause behind Wilson’s ineffective performances and low usage rate is unclear at this point. Barring an uptick in his role, the Michigan product could remain a minor figure on offense moving forward; that will especially be true if a trade acquisition is to be made in the near future.
Once Pittsburgh had Aaron Rodgers in place, Allen Lazard was named as a potential trade target. No deal was made, but Lazard is a pending free agent attached to a base salary of just $1.75MM thanks to the pay cut agreement he reached with the Jets this offseason. New York sits at 0-5 on the year, and a seller’s approach ahead of the deadline is expected. It will be interesting to see if that includes a willingness to move Lazard to a contender.
The Steelers’ Dublin win moved them to 3-1 heading into their bye week. Things could change quickly, but wins against the team’s next two opponents (the Browns and Bengals) would solidify Pittsburgh’s status as a buyer. General manager Omar Khan has shown a willingness to be aggressive ahead of this season, which is believed to the final one of Rodgers’ career. It would come as little surprise if – at a minimum – a repeat of last year’s Mike Williams acquisition were to take place.
Almost like they should’ve kept Pickens. Here he is with 5 TDs already.
Up to 6 now, and he is looking better every week. That next year 3rd is going to look like a real steal for the cowboys regardless of how they finish the season.
I’m eagerly waiting for the next update where Rodgers will throw a tantrum because his vast experience as a GM was not put to use.
Lemon- They better keep looking because as fast as Rodgers throws them under the Bus they’ll need to restock often. When Rogers is winning it’s all smiles and giggles but wit until they lose a couple. Hyde isn’t here yet.
Adam – it’s Mike Willams not Mike Wallace. Wallace was a man a lot of fans got upset the FO let walk not knowing AB was gonna be who he was (on the field).
Rashid Shaheed and Jakobi Meyers are both pending free agents on non-contending teams, so I could see them fitting. Dyami Brown is only on a one year deal and seems like Jacksonville’s fourth favorite wideout. Lazard is hurt at the moment, but he has a whopping six targets on a team with one good receiver. I’m sure he can be had for the price of a phone call.
Meyers would be pretty interesting for Rodgers to throw to. Shaheed can stretch the field. Of the two, I like Meyers with a smart QB taking advantage of his route running. I think that Brown still has a lot of potential, but the Steelers may as well swing for a player who’s used to catching volume passes in my opinion, since he’ll need to get up to speed right away. I like the idea of Meyers and Shaheed for that reason, but the Packers also have a couple of options that Rodgers even has a little experience with to boot. If New Orleans wants to deal Olave, that’s also a good option, but I doubt that they send both him and Shaheed out the door.
The Steelers desperately, desperately, need a second receiver, especially someone to get separation downfield. The line still isn’t that good, and the run game is too reliant on Jaylen Warren being elusive to get out of tough situations. I’d hate to add yet another outside addition if I’m Pittsburgh, but their pass catching corps is in a dire state. Metcalf is a legitimate threat, but he’s had too many drops to carry the offense without a second reliable target. He’s got great ability, but Pittsburgh is still missing that explosive element from the offense that could take it over the top. Is that because Metcalf is being relied on too much to carry the receiving corps? Maybe, but in any case, the Steelers absolutely need someone who can consistently get open opposite of him.
Agreed all around, though I think the Packers likely don’t want to deal from their receiver corps with some of the injuries they’ve dealt with. But maybe Golden takes off coming out of the bye. I do think Meyers makes sense when they already have Metcalf. Very different, complementary skill sets.
Yeah, I actually made the comment that a Doubs trade may not happen this year due to the injury depth blanket that he provides, and the potential of a compensatory pick anyway when he gets an inevitable free agent contract next year. Of course, if the Packers don’t think that they’ll get a good compensatory pick for him, they could take something now, but I agree that he’s good insurance. Still, as far as the Steelers are concerned, it makes sense to call. I agree 100% about Meyers complementing Metcalf skill-wise.
Plus Love seems enamored with Doubs.
Third and Doubs is real.
But yes, I agree with all that Myers makes the most sense. Rodgers would feed him all day.
It’s apparent they have little faith in Roman Wilson or at least are very tentative in how they use him. Have to figure he’ll get some snaps now. Scotty Miller, too
But what they need is two-fold: first, an O-line that can give Rodgers more time. And open holes. And second, some migration into 21st Century football where play calling is concerned.
As I said below, it’s hard to buy into this team even though the AFC at present is somewhat wide open. They have a great many concerns, and some of it is on the sidelines
Rodgers hates using a lot of modern football tactics like play action or motion, so there are limits there.
Green Bay is not trading a WR. Period. End of discussion.
It doesn’t look likely, especially since Doubs will probably fetch them a compensatory pick if he leaves. Still, he’d be a logical addition for the Steelers if Gutekunst changes his mind and wants a more set in stone return than that.
Meyers is a sold fit. Maybe try to sell a couple cows to get another wideout too
Call Tyreke!
Olave trade?
No.
…He will be a Bill!
….wishing to existence….
4 concussions for Olave already. I wouldn’t be willing to give up what it would take to get a concussion prone guy
They’ll probably find another version of last year’s Mike Williams, but…
What could they get if they offered up Highsmith in trade?
Herbig should start. Turn that depth into the WR you need.
Bears need to offer DJ Moore for a 4th. That contract is going to become untradeable in about 3 weeks
Without Moore the Bears would only have Odunze as a WR threat. Opposing defenses would double him and then Williams would be completing his passes to Staley the Bear.
That extension to DJ Moore has been a waste. Williams rarely ever throws to him. They have two TEs and a high draft pick WR to catch the ball. Trading Moore makes sense.
TJ Watt for AJ Brown
Watt is untradeable
Do you mean they can’t trade him for cap reasons? Or that there is no way the Steelers would trade that type of player. I’m not even sure if the Eagles could trade Brown with the dead money hit..
Texans fan here. Our WR group is deep, with two rookies that need playing time. Likely could swing a deal for a mid round pick, interior OL/DL or TE for Kirk, Hutchinson, or Berrios.
Actually, trade Friermuth.
His role has been eaten away from both sides. Smith is the receiver. Washington is the blocker. Friermuth should be the trade chip.
This ^^^ right here. Friermuth is totally expendable. He is not a great WR, and not a good blocker. .
Weird, to say the least. Sign him to a nice extension. Then trade for Jonnu Smith. Then play him very little. Guess he doesn’t fit the 7-man O-line idea
If I were the Steelers, running 13 personnel all the time in their current state isn’t a bad idea. There’s WRs aren’t getting open, and none have big play ability outside of Metcalf. Freiermuth, Smith, and Washington are Pittsburgh’s most harmful receivers, in my opinion, especially in the red zone. That’s a very big receiver group.
That’s not a big play group, of course-which is a problem. The biggest issue, though, is that the Steelers’ run game is still very suspect. If they could have consistent runs, that group could give them a lot of versatility and a ton of red zone flexibility in short yardage. This all ultimately stems from the root problem of not having a consistent run game, added to not having a consistent second receiver. But that’s the roster as currently constructed.
They traded for Jonnu, get him on the field. He and Freiermuth are probably the best receivers after Metcalf on the team, and it helps the run game in theory if they play (despite the fact that they, especially Freiermuth, are primarily receivers). I’d play all three TEs, given that I don’t have great receiving depth and I’m starting a 40 year old QB behind an average offensive line.
Steelers pass attempts per game are the lowest in the league. The offense seems to be a run first. Maybe adding WR, targets will change that.
Tough to get a read on this team. I’ve been a fan since Noll arrived and while having Rodgers here is a nice upgrade over what they’ve had since Roethlisberger’s elbow surgery, it’s hard to see a second WR really adding much. 7-man O-line and a stagnant attack…would not surprise me in the Browns come here and win in a couple days. In fact, in this era I almost expect it
It’s your OC. He’s run, run, play action pass. Two TE sets. The most uncreative OC in the NFL.
Yep. And the best two pass catching TE’s are getting the least snaps. Says a lot about this O-line.
After the Browns game, it is pretty apparent that Washington will be seeing the field a lot going forward. Friermuth could be on the move but the receiver options seem to be thin at the moment. Besides Meyers and Shaheed, whom could be available? I would say Ridley but he is out now with a hamstring injury.
Meyers, Lazard, one of the Pats’ several receivers are probably available too. Probably not available but maybe for a good offer would be one of the Packers’ receivers (Doubs, really) and maybe Olave. Neither team seems inclined to trade those latter two (I believe Green Bay more than New Orleans in this case), but there’s a nonzero chance in my mind. If the Colts weren’t winning at a high clip, I’d put Alec Pierce on that list. Still a nonzero there, as the team has flirted with losing him for the last two years, but right now he’s valuable. This may sound a bit crazy, but I actually think that McLaurin or Higgins are dark horses here as candidates if their teams don’t start winning by the deadline. Washington of course has a much better chance of this of the two. I’m not going to touch the topic of Moore with Chicago, especially after a win yesterday (one that he actually got five targets in, good for second on the team).
The crown jewel, though, would be A.J. Brown. I don’t think that Philly wants to trade him, but I also don’t think that they’d walk away from a good offer. To be honest, it seems like the type of headline knee jerk move that the Rams would make after Nacua’s injury, but there’s cost for Brown is probably higher than what Pittsburgh wants to pay. Still, it’d be a major move that would really help their offense. Besides simply being really good, Brown fits well with what the Steelers want to do vertically and underneath. Thing is, I’m not sure how real the desire is on Philly’s end to act on the trade speculation. It’s not apparent who would be Brown’s successor opposite Smith, despite how relatively good Dotson has been since coming to Philly. Metchie hasn’t broken out yet, though one could make the argument that the Eagles are much more reliant on the run now and could survive the loss of Brown.
If Pittsburgh does try for this, they have a player who could help Philadelphia in Alex Highsmith. Herbig has been great for Pittsburgh, and Highsmith is a vet who fills an area of need for the Eagles that got a little less deep after Smith’s unexpected retirement. Smith wasn’t playing significant snaps, of course, but Roseman clearly wanted an upgrade on the edge that could come in as a veteran pass rusher, and Highsmith could do that with a potentially higher snap count. I’ve heard others pitch Feiermuth to the Eagles, and while he could be helpful in that offense, I don’t think that they need him enough to give up stock in a potential Brown trade to choose him over draft capitol. Goedert almost walked this past year, and he’s catching impactful passes right now at a low salary. Freiermuth also is not the best run blocker, which hurts his value to a Philly style offense. Highsmith seems to be the only potential player that Pittsburgh can both afford to lose and that the Eagles would want enough to lower pick stock in a potential Brown trade.
Having 3 capable TEs does NOT substitute the need for a real and capable WR2.
There’s several young WRs wasting away on several teams: Jordan Whittington (LAR) comes to mind
Hunter Renfro (CAR) might be available soon and Rodgers likes his vets
Whittington is probably staying put considering Nakua’s injury.
A Lazard trade would be possible but I think the Jets will wait until Garrett Wilson returns from injury.
Pitt looking for WR help, is the #1 most reported need in the entire nfl for several years.
I dump on AS often, but im not sure AS would see this as a need. I think another WR, would be targeted 50% less than playing on another team.
The way the system is, the squeeze probably isnt worth the juice.