How desperate are the Pittsburgh Steelers for a No. 2 receiver? Conversations on potential trades or free agent signings have cooled with training camp underway, but the need in the offense remains.
Pittsburgh does have two young receivers in Calvin Austin III and Roman Wilson that they would certainly like to get on the field in a greater capacity this season. But, this is also a team looking to capitalize on what they believe to be a championship window, no matter how fragile the opening.
Many of the new additions via free agency and trade the Steelers have made this offseason have experience getting to and winning Super Bowls. If the franchise does still feel compelled to make an addition who fits that bill, there is one last option available who might be just as desperate as Pittsburgh to make 2025 a season to remember.
Pittsburgh Steelers and Odell Beckham Jr. could be just what the other needs
Pro Football Sports Network’s Jacob Infante recently highlighted the best available free agents and mentioned that one potential solution to the Steelers' need at receiver would be to sign Odell Beckham Jr. Beckham is almost 33 years old and has missed 40 games since 2020, but he still carries the experience of having played in a Super Bowl and a wealth of veteran knowledge as one of the league’s biggest stars for the better part of a decade.
It wasn’t so long ago that the Steelers' signing a player like Beckham would be a laughable suggestion, but this offseason has seen the franchise do many things that have been out of the norm. Still, Beckham likely wouldn’t be a realistic answer to the Steelers' questions on offense.
The former star hasn’t looked like his once superstar self since tearing his ACL in Super Bowl LVI. He played remarkably well for the Los Angeles Rams in 2021 and looked poised to possibly even be the Super Bowl MVP before the injury. But since then, he’s been rather unremarkable.
His return to football in 2023 with Baltimore was unspectacular. He caught just 35 passes for 565 and three scores in 14 games. Last year with Miami was even worse. He only suited up for nine games and didn’t make a single start as he recorded just nine catches for 55 yards.
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Beckham is clearly at the end of his career, so it stands to reason that he would prefer to land with a contender where he can contribute with a light workload. The Steelers are one of the few teams that fit such a specific scenario, even if many believe Pittsburgh is far from being a serious contender.
Such a pairing would reek of desperation, especially for the Steelers. And despite their bold moves this offseason, the team hasn’t exactly been making desperate moves, rather just questionable from a certain point of view.
Regardless, the Steelers would likely be better served finding veteran talent at wide receiver who don’t carry as much media baggage and who instead have a better recent track record of production than what Beckham offers.