We've been speculating for months that the Pittsburgh Steelers could make a splash trade for a wide receiver. Reports suggest that a trade for Brandon Aiyuk was a done deal and that Pittsburgh's front office was simply waiting for 49ers GM John Lynch to pull the trigger.
Since then, it's been hard to gauge what's going on with Aiyuk's status. On August 27, all 32 teams cut their rosters down to 53 players ahead of the 2024 season. The Steelers elected to keep just five wide receivers on hand: George Pickens, Roman Wilson, Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin III, and Scotty Miller.
This group is underwhelming on paper, and fans aren't optimistic about the upside of the passing game this year. Outside of Pickens, Jefferson is in pole position to be the team's WR2 early in the season. However, the veteran receiver didn't cut it in his first five games with the Rams in 2023 and he was even less efficient when he joined Arthur Smith and the Falcons last year -- earning a dismal 3.6 yards per target and catching only 42.9 percent of passes thrown his way.
On August 29, former Steelers star Antonio Brown sent out a cryptic post on 'X' suggesting that Pittsburgh is making a move at the wide receiver position.
Steelers WR move coming soon 🤫 #CTESPN
— AB (@AB84) August 29, 2024
Brown didn't expand on who this move might be for. With his spotty track record, fans should take this Steelers rumor with a grain of salt. At the same time, it's not hard to believe that something is in the works.
Steelers seem destined to make a move at wide receiver
Even after selecting Roman Wilson in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers showed they weren't content at the wide receiver position, as they had reached out to teams to discuss a trade for a receiver. Considering that Wilson missed the entire preseason after suffering an ankle injury in the first padded practice of Steelers training camp, there's more reason than ever to believe the front office will make a move.
Everything circles back to Brandon Aiyuk, and reports suggest a trade is still on the table. The Steelers and 49ers had enough talks that they came to terms on a deal and were waiting for the Niners to give the final sign-off. Meanwhile, Aiyuk still refuses to sign the contract extension San Francisco offered and John Lynch is getting noticeably irritated that he won't practice with the team.
We don't know if Brown has any inside information at all or if he's just going on a gut feeling. However, every fan knows that wide receiver is one of the weakest positions on the Steelers' roster, and a move for a receiver before the start of the season wouldn't surprise any of us.