The Pittsburgh Steelers made a splash trading for wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. to kick off free agency. While it didn’t cost them much, it shows that they are committed to improving at that position. Pittman is an instant upgrade, and he believes the Steelers aren’t done trying to upgrade at wide receiver.
“I’m pretty sure that they might be looking to add somebody,” Pittman said Friday via the team’s YouTube channel. “They haven’t said that, but just looking at our room, it does look a little thin, numbers wise.”
The Steelers still indeed lack depth at receiver. He and DK Metcalf make for a nice one-two punch, but the Steelers need more than two receivers. Roman Wilson and Ben Skowronek are the only ones behind them currently. Neither of those players have shown that they can be viable starters, either.
Wilson was the team’s third-round pick in 2024, but he hasn’t done much in the NFL. He missed basically his entire rookie season due to injury, and then he only caught 12 passes in 2025.
Meanwhile, Skowronek is essentially just a special teams player. While he’s elite at that, he only has 17 catches in the past three seasons.
That leaves the Steelers with more work to do at wideout. Unfortunately, the free agency pool is starting to get thin. Calvin Austin III could’ve filled that spot, but he left Pittsburgh to sign with the New York Giants. The Steelers have spent a decent chunk of money already, too, so they probably aren’t going to pursue any of the more notable wide receivers who are still available.
While Pittman and Metcalf are both proven players, having them shouldn’t stop the Steelers from drafting a receiver early. They met with most of the top receivers at the NFL Combine, so there’s interest there.
Just as well, the Steelers have a lot of draft capital. Even if they select a receiver on Day 1, they could double-dip at the position. They’ve done that in the past, including in 2022, when they drafted George Pickens and Austin.
Even if the Steelers continue adding to their receiver corps, that shouldn’t diminish Pittman’s role. They’re paying him a lot of money, so he’ll be on the field. The question is who will complement him and Metcalf. The Steelers will need to answer that, one way or another.