Friday’s “First Call” has a new home for a recently released Pittsburgh Steelers receiver. Another Steelers trade target at the position may be staying put. A new Pirate is off to a strong start in the minor leagues.

And the Pirates are getting set for a crucial six-game stretch against fellow wild-card contenders.

3rd time is the charm

Marquez Callaway wasn’t unemployed long. The recently released Steelers receiver has been picked up by the New Orleans Saints. 

This is Callaway’s third stint with the Saints after beginning his career with the franchise as an undrafted free agent. In 45 regular season games with New Orleans from 2020-23, the Tennessee Volunteer alum has totaled 83 receptions for 1,069 yards and seven touchdowns. He’s also returned 14 punts for 149 yards (10.6 avg.) and returned four kickoffs for 94 yards (23.5 avg.).

On Jan. 17, Callaway signed a reserve/futures contract with the Steelers. He worked through minicamp and OTAs here but was released Tuesday.

Callaway was one of many receivers in the running to pick up Diontae Johnson’s snaps after he was traded to the Carolina Panthers. Roman Wilson is also out of that mix for the time being. The Michigan rookie pass catcher suffered an ankle sprain on Tuesday, which is expected to keep him out of action for a number of weeks.

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Burks off the bubble?

Another potential Steelers trade target at wide receiver may be coming off the market.

The Tennessee Titans found out Thursday that star receiver DeAndre Hopkins is expected to miss four to six weeks with an injured knee. That’s according to Titans reporter Paul Kuharsky.

By extension, that may mean the Titans are now less willing to trade Treylon Burks. The former first-round pick out of Arkansas was often mocked to the Steelers in the 2022 pre-draft process before the team ended up selecting Kenny Pickett at pick No. 20. Tennessee nabbed Burks out of Arkansas two picks earlier.

But now, Burks is behind a logjam of receivers in Nashville. Hopkins, Calvin Ridley and Pitt alum Tyler Boyd are all in front of him on the Titans depth chart. As a result, many thought he’d be a potential trade chip for Tennessee general manager Ran Carthon to dangle in front of the wide receiver-starved Steelers. For depth purposes, though, that may not be as enticing now that Hopkins is hurt.

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Other potentially tradable assets at receiver for the Steelers who have reached some sort of contract resolution in recent days or months include Darius Slayton (New York Giants), Tee Higgins (Cincinnati Bengals), Amari Cooper (Cleveland Browns), D.J.Moore (Chicago Bears) and Cortland Sutton (Denver Broncos).

In two seasons with the Titans, Burks has just 49 catches for 665 yards and only one touchdown. In terms of his contract, the 24-year-old has two more years left and a fifth-year option for 2026.

As we watched

As the Pirates were off Thursday, they witnessed split results in the National League wild-card race.

First of all, the Atlanta Braves won 4-2 over the Miami Marlins. Matt Olson and Austin Riley both homered in the first inning, and former Pirate Charlie Morton pitched six shutout innings for the win.

Morton had six strikeouts along the way. He is now 6-6 with a 3.94 ERA.

Winners of three games in a row, the Braves currently hold the top wild card spot at 59-49. They are followed by the San Diego Padres, who are a game back at 59-51. The Arizona Diamondbacks hold the final wild card spot at 58-51.

Just out of the picture are the New York Mets in fourth place by half a game at 57-51. The 56-53 St. Louis Cardinals are next, two back of Arizona. Then it’s the Pirates at 54-52, 2½ back of the DBacks.

As for the Cardinals, they lost to the Chicago Cubs, 5-4. Cody Bellinger’s home run was part of a three-run, ninth-inning comeback by the Cubbies to get the win.

Meanwhile, like the Pirates, the Mets, Diamondbacks and Padres were all idle. The Pirates host Arizona for three games at PNC Park this weekend, followed by the Padres for three at the start of next week.

The DBacks recently took two of three from the Pirates in Arizona before the Bucs went to Houston. San Diego has won nine of its past 10 games. The Padres also have 31 road wins. That’s the most in the National League.

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Nice start for Nick

New Pirate farmhand Nick Yorke is off to a decent start with the Indianapolis Indians since being brought over from the Boston Red Sox organization. He was dealt to the Pirates in exchange for Quinn Priester earlier this week.

Yorke opened up against the Toledo Mud Hens and got an RBI single Wednesday. On Thursday, Yorke stroked an RBI double and scored twice. His base hit is the second clip in this montage.

Yorke also made a slick play at second base.

The Indians won 7-3. They have nine straight victories.

Listen: Tim Benz and Jeff Erickson discuss the Steelers WR situation and the MLB trade deadline results in this week’s “Breakfast With Benz” fantasy sports podcast.

Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via X. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.

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