Since the Pittsburgh Steelers traded Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers, they have been associated with some well-known players as possible replacements for their former Pro Bowler.
The first name that came up was Tyler Boyd. He has been a long-time opponent in the same division, but he grew up in Pennsylvania, played college football at Pitt, and has shown interest in coming back to Pittsburgh to play for the Steelers.
He is a free agent, and there was a report of mutual interest between the player and the team, but now there are differing opinions within the organization about signing him.
The Steelers are also scheduled to meet with former Chargers receiver Mike Williams this week, but they will face competition for him as he also has meetings with three other teams.
Now it seems there could be an even bigger name in the works for the Steelers.
While appearing on the March 18 episode of “The Rich Eisen Show”, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac revealed that the team could be looking for a “bigger catch” at wide receiver while discussing the team’s interest in Williams.
“Or bigger is all I will tell you Rich and we shall see, but that is another step that they are going to make. Like I said, it might not even be Mike Williams, it might be a bigger catch if you will. No pun intended.”
The Steelers’ Wide Receiver Need
The Steelers are very thin at the wide receiver position right now.
When they trade Johnson, it left them with George Pickens and Calvin Austin as the only receivers who played meaningful snaps for the team last season.
Pickens is going to be a major factor for the offense in 2024 after topping 1000 yards for the first time last year, but Austin is still unproven.
They’ve recently added Van Jefferson, but he wasn’t all that productive for the Rams or the Falcons a year ago.
That has left them with a major need for at least a WR2 and potentially a WR3 as well.
Now it sounds like they could be going after a WR1 to replace Johnson instead.
Who Could it Be?
There isn’t a long list of available receivers that would be a bigger catch than Williams or Boyd.
The biggest name out there who has requested a trade this offseason is actually one of Boyd’s teammates former teammates. Bengals WR Tee Higgins requested a trade after being franchise tagged, but there is very little chance that the Bengals would trade him within the division.
Stefon Diggs is a name that has been at the center of rumors since the Bills’ season came to an end and a recent Twitter post started those rumors up again. Diggs had a rough ending to last season, topping 50 yards just three times the last 10 games, including the playoffs.
Trading for him would certainly be a big deal for the Steelers.
The most realistic big name out there is Brandon Aiyuk.
In an impressive group of pass catchers for the 49ers, Aiyuk has managed to establish himself as the clear top option. His 75 catches and 1342 yards in 2023 led the team in both categories and his 7 touchdown catches tied for the most on the team.
Aiyuk was named to the All-Pro Second Team.
He also shredded the Steelers’ defense in Week 1 with 8 catches for 129 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
The 49ers really don't want to let him go, but their team is expensive and they will soon have to start paying him. Brock PurdyThe 49ers have a tough decision coming up because they'll need to pay him soon.
They might choose to trade him now when he's worth the most instead of waiting to see if they can afford to keep him long-term.
Perhaps there's a surprise player that the team believes they could bring in.
Whoever it is, getting a top-level receiver would be another significant move for the Steelers as they try to become a strong team this offseason.
