With the NFL Draft approaching in less than three weeks, the Pittsburgh Steelers wouldn’t mind getting back the second-round pick they lost when they traded for DK Metcalf.
Trouble is, to do so, they likely would weaken the position they bolstered when they acquired the two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver.
George Pickens, entering the final season of his rookie contract, is one of the few players on the roster the Steelers could deal to bring that coveted draft pick back into the fold.
Yet, based on comments from coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Omar Khan at the NFL annual meeting last week, the Steelers are content with keeping Pickens around for a fourth season.
“You need more than one receiver in this league,” Khan said. “We’re fortunate to have George and Calvin (Austin III) and we’re excited about what Roman (Wilson) is going to be able to do for us.”
The lack of a dependable veteran No. 2 wide receiver easily was the most glaring weakness in the Steelers offense last season when they finished No. 23 in total yards and No. 16 in points. Tight end Pat Freiermuth led the team with 65 catches, with Pickens’ 59 topping the team’s receivers. Pickens also totaled a team-high 900 yards.
Austin had 36 catches for 548 yards in his second full healthy season. Van Jefferson, now in Tennessee, caught 24 passes for 276 yards, and Mike Williams had just nine catches for 132 yards in his half-season with the Steelers after being acquired from the New York Jets. He has returned to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Wilson, the Steelers’ third-round pick from Michigan, missed all but one game of his rookie season with injuries.
The issues at wide receiver were enough for the Steelers to part with such a high draft pick to acquire Metcalf, who averaged 73 receptions and 1,054 yards in his six seasons with the Seattle Seahawks. He was brought in to complement Pickens rather than replace him.
“I don’t know that it affects (Pickens) in any way,” Tomlin said. “Directly, certainly the strength of the pack is the pack. When you have eligibles that are schematic problems for those that defend you, it creates more opportunities for all involved. I think that’s probably the only lens through which I’ve looked at that to this point.”
Tomlin pointed to his own experience as a defensive coordinator and secondary coach as an example.
“As a guy who grew up on the defensive side of the ball, when you’ve got multiple people schematically that you’ve got to work to minimize, it really challenges you in terms of some of the things that you do. We see similar challenges within our division, and so we’re excited about putting together a group that has that type of collective presence.”
Tomlin was referencing the Cincinnati Bengals duo of Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, arguably the best wide receiver tandem in the NFL. Chase led the NFL last year with 127 receptions and 1,708 yards, and has surpassed 1,000 yards in all four of his seasons with the Bengals. Higgins had 73 catches for 911 yards last year and twice has eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards in his career.
The Bengals, with NFL passing leader Joe Burrow at quarterback, figured out how to keep both dynamic receivers engaged last season. It remains to be seen how the mercurial Pickens will handle another alpha receiver on the field.
“We’ll figure that out, but that’s not a problem as I see it,” Tomlin said. “These guys want to be significant reasons why we’re successful, guys that have the talent to do so. I’ll stand in line for those issues.”
The Steelers traded for Metcalf and gave him a record five-year, $150 million contract without knowing who will be throwing him the football in 2025. Aaron Rodgers remains unsigned, and the Steelers have just two quarterbacks under contract as the draft approaches.
“I’ll just say when you have the opportunity to obtain a player of that caliber — at least the way we see DK — I don’t think you can wait around for those opportunities,” Khan said. “You have to jump at them, and it worked out. He wanted to be here. We wanted him here, and we weren’t going to let that opportunity go.”