Should Steelers sign free agent wide receiver Cole Beasley?

The Pittsburgh Steelers receiving corps has taken quite the beating this offseason. Should the team pursue reliable wide receiver, Cole Beasley?

JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Washington, Ray-Ray McCloud were all wide receivers for the Pittsburgh Steelers that have left this offseason to find greener pastures in the National Football League.

Hearing this would never be particularly good news, but it certainly isn’t when it’s affecting one of an already-struggling team’s best qualities. Today, as a result of the relocations, the Steelers receiving corps now has very little beyond Chase Claypool and Diontae Johnson.

While those two names may come off as a pretty solid duo at face value, Claypool finished last season as a heavily-underused piece in Pittsburgh’s offensive puzzle. As for Johnson, he could hardly manage to catch the ball in the second half of the season.

So simply put, the passing offense could still be in some serious trouble if the receiving corps doesn’t make up for some of the depth that it’s recently lost. While this problem could be solved some in the upcoming draft, the new group should probably have some league experience tied to it. But who should be acquired to check that box?

An easy answer right off the bat would be free agent Cole Beasley. He’s been on the market for a little bit of time now with what appears to be next-to-no interest surrounding him, despite his reputation for being both a reliable and determined target on a consistent basis.

What’s wrong with this take?

A couple of dings against this idea (aside from his controversial stance on the COVID-19 vaccines) would probably revolve around his size and age. Beasley stands at an underwhelming 5’8″ and turns 33 in April. But are either of those facts really the end of the world?

Of the three wide receivers that were listed at the beginning, JuJu Smith-Schuster was the tallest. However, even he only came to 6’1″, so we’re not exactly looking to replace skyscrapers here. As for age, Beasley is exactly what the Steelers should be searching for.

At 33, Beasley would be in that range of “old, but not too old,” having a barrel of experience under his belt without being some elderly liability. Folks need to remember that he wasn’t an All-Pro selection in 2020 for no reason.

Glancing at who else in free agency could help the Steelers with their receiving dilemma, the biggest name that stands out is veteran Julio Jones. Jones, a future NFL Hall of Famer, is Beasley’s age (turned 33 in February) yet significantly taller, being listed at 6’3″.

The only problem with Jones would be that — being a much bigger name — he costs a lot more than the average free agent WR does, and that includes Beasley. So especially if the Steelers are going to rely on the draft for the majority of the receiving corps rebuild, paying the money for Jones seems a tad unnecessary.

Is Cole Beasley some outstanding need for any NFL team? No, if he were then he most likely wouldn’t still be on the market. However, the Steelers need some depth in their passing game, and for that, he would be a perfect fit. He may not be the most athletic specimen out there, but if you need a big first down by going long, Beasley will do all he can to get it for you, and that’s all one can really ask for.