The Pittsburgh Steelers made a lot of changes to their offense during the 2024 NFL offseason. Arthur Smith is taking over as the offensive coordinator and he will have a new quarterback room to work with.
Russell Wilson and Justin Fields were both acquired this offseason, replacing Kenny Pickett, Michell Trubisky and Mason Rudolph. The offensive line was upgraded as well, as the Steelers made that a focus this offseason.
Things should operate better on that side of the ball, but there is still one glaring weakness heading into Week 1; who is going to be the No. 2 wide receiver behind George Pickens?
Pittsburgh made a trade with the Carolina Panthers this offseason, sending Diontae Johnson there in exchange for cornerback Donte Jackson and some draft pick swaps. The hole left by Johnson’s departure has not been filled.
Internal candidates exist, as the team is high on 2024 third-round pick Roman Wilson. Veterans Van Jefferson and Scott Miller are also on the depth chart with Calvin Austin III, a fourth-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Externally, the Steelers were linked to Brandon Aiyuk of the San Francisco 49ers. A deal between the teams looked close to getting done, but it involved the Denver Broncos also.
When the Broncos would not part ways with Courtland Sutton, the deal fell through. Aiyuk signed a deal with the 49ers and now Pittsburgh is stuck seeking another option.
Could another trade target emerge? Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report has released his NFL trade big board heading into Week 1.
One of the players on the list is Treylon Burks of the Tennessee Titans. Knox has suggested that the former first-round pick could be a target for the black and gold.
“Just because the Titans haven’t fully tapped into Burks’ pre-draft potential—he was the 27th-ranked prospect on the Bleacher Report Scouting Department’s final 2022 draft board—doesn’t mean another team couldn’t use him.
The Pittsburgh Steelers don’t have a proven No. 2 receiver behind George Pickens and should probably be linked to just about any wideout who becomes available,’ Knox wrote.
The price to acquire the Arkansas product likely isn’t very high. As Knox noted, he hasn’t lived up to expectations with the Titans.
After the moves they made this offseason, he is now buried on the depth chart as well. A change of scenery would do him some good and in Pittsburgh, he’d have a chance to get on the field as soon as he got comfortable with the playbook.
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