Steelers' Timeline For Potential Big WR Trade Revealed

The Pittsburgh Steelers and General Manager Omar Khan made a conscious decision to trade Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers without a guarantee that he could be replaced. Trade rumors have swirled for months after the March deal, but nothing has come about in terms of landing a big-name wideout. Roman Wilson was drafted in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, while the front office has added a bunch of guys who can be looked at as borderline number three receivers, but more comfortably, number four options. The plan is still unclear, but when Khan is at the helm, nothing can be left off of the table.

Names such as Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, Courtland Sutton and DK Metcalf have been thrown around, but the reality of the situation is it would have made a ton more sense for their current teams to deal them prior to or during the 2024 NFL Draft. Khan is lurking in the shadows and potentially waiting to strike somewhere, however. It's hard to believe the team has confidence in either Van Jefferson, Calvin Austin III or the rookie in Wilson to be the second guy behind George Pickens.

Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette joined Andrew Fillipponi and Chris Mueller on The PM Team w/Poni & Mueller on Thursday and discussed the need for another wide receiver. While Khan wasn't able to work his magic around the draft, it's still very possible that the organization makes a move prior to meaningful games being played in September and beyond.

"I still think a trade is a possibility. Not soon. I think they're going to take a look at things here in [Organized Team Activities], minicamp and training camp, and if they don't like what they see, I could see them doing some wheeling and dealing in late July, early August," Fittipaldo said.

Better late than never? The prospect of Pickens consistently being double-teamed is a scary thought. The offense still has Pat Freiermuth, but a more dynamic receiving core is essential. If certain wideouts around the league hold out as training camp begins, some franchises could decide that it makes sense to trade the player, rather than give him a lump sum of cash.

The new offense designed by Arthur Smith will be heavily focused on running the football and play-action passes. That's not a foregone conclusion, but he would be silly to go away from what worked when he was in the same position for the Tennessee Titans. This could be a main reason why the Steelers aren't fretting as much over the wide receiver position as the fan base is.

Regardless, if Pickens were to go down with an injury, Pittsburgh, respectfully, might have one of the worst units in the entire league. It'd be foolish to go into the season without having a legitimate number two guy. Maybe Wilson will step in immediately, but there's no way to guarantee that a rookie has what it takes to make a huge difference in Week 1.

Time will tell what the plan is, but Fittipaldo makes a good point. It makes no sense to trade for a wideout in May, but as training camp creeps closer, it should absolutely be on the table. While it may not be a flashy name like Aiyuk, someone like Darius Slayton from the New York Giants may even make sense to complement Pickens.

Steelers Offensive Overhaul Must End With One More Receiver

Pittsburgh's offense is going to look extremely different in 2024. It begins with Smith calling the plays, but with new quarterbacks, a fresh line, and an interesting receiving core, not a lot will be familiar. That can be a great thing, however, one final piece of the puzzle needs to be completed. The Steelers need a legitimate number two receiver and a training camp trade would be the perfect way to accomplish that.