The Steelers need some speed on their offense this offseason, and these six pending free agents would fill that void.
The Steelers receiving group will be in transition this offseason, as James Washington and JuJu Smith-Schuster are pending free agents. While replacing Smith-Schuster will require a more physical slot style of receiver, the team is lacking a natural deep threat with some speed.
Here are six free-agent receivers that could add some serious speed to the Steelers roster.
Steelers could sign Jackson
The go-to standard of a deep threat receiver since he was drafted, DeSean Jackson will once again find himself as a free agent this offseason. Despite not being a full-time starter anymore due to his age, his speed is still wholly present. He only caught 20 passes this year, but he compiled an obscene 454 yards off those receptions for a 22.7 average yards per catch.
The Steelers haven’t had a threat like that since Mike Wallace, and while Jackson will continue to regress, he still has the speed to take the top off a defense. The team is lacking a receiver that wins vertically like that, and while it wasn’t a huge issue in an offense that was focused on the short passing game, it may become an issue with whoever the new quarterback is for this team.
Jackson would come in cheaply and have an instant role on the team. He wouldn’t be pushing for starter snaps, but he can play 10-15 snaps a game and force a defense to drop some defensive backs deep. At his age and being only a role player, a new deal likely won’t break the bank, and adding him would give this offense some of the speed they need.
Steelers could sign Goodwin
If you want a slightly younger, less controversial, and less explosive version of Jackson, Marquise Goodwin is your guy. The former track sprinter has endured in the NFL for so long due to his Olympian speed. While that is slowly beginning to wane, Goodwin still has the speed to win deep and stretch a defense.
He showed that last year in a relatively inept Bears offense. Despite their offensive struggles, Goodwin still managed to average 15.7 yards per reception. While that is slightly down from his career average of 16.5 per reception, a lot of that was due to the struggles with the Bears’ offense. Goodwin is still a capable deep threat that this team is lacking.
What makes him a more appealing option, despite him being four years younger, is that he can run a slightly more advanced route tree. He was a capable starter a few years back with the 49ers as his route running improved. As for his cost, I believe he will get at or close to the minimum on a new deal. He would be cheap speed though if he were added.
Steelers could sign Raymond
While Kalif Raymond only finds himself in the middle of this list, he is an option that I could see the Steelers exploring this offseason. His career started off extremely slowly, and it seemed like he was going to be out of the league before finding a spot with the Titans in 2019. There, he served as a return man and occasional deep threat.
The Lions brought him in the last offseason with the expectation for him to serve in a similar role. However, due to the Lions completely lacking receiving options, he actually became a regular contributor on the offense. He had a career year as a receiver, even though his average yards per catch dipped from the high teens to 12 yards per catch last season.
Raymond is an example of a receiver who does more with less. When counted on as a starter, his receiving average dipped as he was used more in the short game. The Steelers could add him and use him similarly to how the Titans used him. He is a good deep threat with return abilities to boot. He should be a quality addition if the team wants a cheap and younger deep threat.
Steelers could sign Valdes-Scantling
The first three names are ones that are relatively limited. While capable receivers, each does their best work when just being used as a deep threat receiver. The latter two on this list are starters and should be used as a deep threat from the X position. Marquez Valdes-Scantling is an in-between option. While used as a starter occasionally with the Packers, his stats have never looked that great.
That said, what Valdes-Scantling does great at is winning deep. He has a career average per catch of 17.5 yards, and he was a regular addition to the Packers’ deep passing attack. While only a role player, he is a name that could serve as a team’s X receiver if given the shot. In all honesty, that is likely the role he is going to be looking for this offseason.
His price tag should be more than any of the other names on this list, but it likely won’t break the bank. If added, he could play some snaps at the X and shift Chase Claypool more to the slot on occasion. Valdes-Scantling does a great job of winning deep and using his speed to make big plays. He would be a quality addition to this offense because of it.
Steelers could sign Williams
A different type of deep threat, Mike Williams has become quite a complete receiver for the Chargers over the past few seasons. While the early returns on Williams weren’t that promising, he turned it around and has become a top-down-the-field threat. He is set to enter free agency and cash in on his past few season successes.
While not a traditional burner, Williams uses his impressive quickness and size to beat defenders off the line of scrimmage. While not a burner, he has plenty of speed from there to get into position deep and win down the field. Add in his red-zone presence and Williams is a stereotypical Z receiver.
Unfortunately, he will likely get paid like one this offseason as well, as he certainly won’t be cheap. He has proven to be an efficient target on a pass-heavy team and will likely want to be paid like a top-15 receiver. That may be too rich for the Steelers’ blood, but if they wanted a better X receiver and an option to kick Claypool into the slot, Williams would be a great fit.
Steelers could sign Chark
DJ Chark was a complete projection when the Jaguars drafted him in the second round of the 2018 draft. His stats at LSU were mediocre, as the Tigers were focused on running as opposed to passing then. He tested like an absolute freak at the combine though and was seen as a prototypical height-weight-speed player entering the NFL.
To this point, he has been just that, although inconsistencies have marred his ascension as a pro. His sophomore season was a coming-out party for Chark, as he posted over 1000 receiving yards despite the team being one of the more mediocre teams in the league. He followed that up with an inconsistent and injury-riddled third season before only playing in four games this past season.
There are a lot of questions with Chark at this point, as he has only had one good season with the Jaguars. Given his promise though, he will likely want a hefty contract in the 11-14 million dollars a season range. There would be a risk associated with signing him, but he would provide the Steelers with a true deep threat along the outside. The team had a lot of interest in Chark before he was drafted, thus adding him as a free agent makes sense for a team lacking speed.
The Steelers will be looking for two types of receivers this season: a physical slot type and a speedy deep threat. If they look for the latter in free agency, these six pending names make a lot of sense. The team could spend big for a regular starter or go cheap and find a role player. No matter what type of player they target, this offense needs some speed.