Steelers have quantity at wide receiver, but search for quality continues in spring workouts

None of the eight receivers on the roster has ever recorded a 1,000-yard season.

For fans, the thought of the Pittsburgh Steelers entering the season without an adequate replacement for No. 2 wide receiver Diontae Johnson might be more terrifying than a Stephen King novel.

Consider that, aside from starter George Pickens, none of the eight other non-rookie receivers attending organized team activities has matched the productivity that Johnson contributed to the Steelers in five seasons before he was traded to the Carolina Panthers in March.

None has reached 1,000 receiving yards, which Johnson accomplished in 2021 when he was selected to the Pro Bowl.

None has registered multiple 100-yard games in their career. Johnson did it five times.

None has reached even 78 receptions or 872 yards in a season, which Johnson averaged during his 77-game stay with the Steelers.

Little wonder the Steelers had their name attached to trade talks for San Francisco 49ers receiving threat Brandon Aiyuk or the Denver Broncos’ Courtland Sutton.

“Diontae left his legacy here. You don’t replace that,” said third-year receiver Calvin Austin, who joins Pickens as the lone holdovers from the 2023 Steelers. “You just have new players step up and do their jobs.”

While the Steelers didn’t unearth a quality No. 2 receiver in the offseason, they added plenty of quantity to the position group. They signed three players in free agency, added a veteran on a reserve/futures contract and retained three members of the 2023 practice squad.

That all transpired before the Steelers used a thirdround pick to select former Michigan receiver Roman Wilson in the NFL Draft.

All was done in the hopes of finding a complementary piece to pair with Pickens, who is coming off a 1,140yard receiving season.

“What Diontae did on the field, we’ll expand on that,” Austin said. “We have a wide receiver room where everybody has bought in. We’re ready to work and take advantage of those opportunities.”

In his final season before being traded, Johnson had the least productive year of his career. He missed four games with a hamstring injury, then totaled a career-low 51 receptions and finished with 717 yards, the second fewest on his resume.

Still, none of the veteran receivers added by the Steelers has ever caught more than 50 passes in a season. Van Jefferson had 50 receptions in 2021 when he also finished with 802 yards. He is the only receiver on the Steelers’ offseason roster with more than 700 receiving yards in a season.

Marquez Callaway, signed to a contract in January after appearing in just three games in his fourth season with the New Orleans Saints, had 698 yards in 2021. Quez Watkins, signed in free agency after four seasons in Philadelphia, had 647 yards, also in 2021.

Among the other receivers with a modicum of NFL experience, Scotty Miller had 501 receiving yards with Tampa Bay in 2020, and Denzel Mims has never matched the 357 receiving yards he had as a rookie in 2020.

Another damning stat: The seven receivers in camp with NFL experience have combined to play in 275 games with 101 starts. They have combined for three 100-yard games, one each from Watkins, Miller and Callaway. By comparison, Pickens has six in two seasons, including five last year.

“I wouldn’t necessarily say it’s like a replacement,” Pickens said in the first week of OTAs. “I just feel like we call — because it’s a whole new offense — everybody is scattered around right now. We don’t really know. You could say a lot … a billion guys are replacing Diontae. You see what I mean? We don’t really know right now. It’s just guys working and getting the plays down right now.”

Jefferson and Miller joined the Steelers, in part, because of prior working relationship with new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. Watkins signed with the organization because he saw a chance to take on a bigger role in an offense after taking a backseat to A.J. Brown and DaVonta Smith with the Eagles last season.

“When I saw that they had traded Diontae, for me it was a great opportunity to come in and have the potential to be No. 2 or whatever they want me to be,” Watkins said. “It’s a good place for me to actually compete for that spot.”

Jefferson, Watkins and Miller each joined the Steelers on one-year contracts, and they weren’t exactly dealing from a position of strength when they hit the open market. Jefferson totaled just 20 catches for 209 yards last season, which he split with the Los Angeles Rams and Falcons. Watkins had 15 catches for 142 yards, and Miller had 11 for 161.

“I think I bring some big play availability,” Miller said. “There are a lot of guys with speed here. I think I’m reliable, and this is my sixth year, and I bring consistency every day.”

Miller’s best season came when Tom Brady was throwing passes during Tampa Bay’s championship season in 2020. In addition to his relationship with Smith, he signed with the Steelers for a chance to play with former Super Bowl-winning quarterback Russell Wilson.

“They both are super talented guys and can really throw the deep ball,” Miller said, “so for a guy like me, I love that.”

As one of the few returning receivers from last season, Austin would like to take a step forward in his career. In his third game last year, Austin caught a 72-yard touchdown pass to help ignite a win at Las Vegas, but then he caught just eight passes for 61 yards over the final 14 games.

“In this league, if you haven’t improved, you get left behind,” Austin said. “I think the game has slowed down, and I’m feeling very comfortable. I’m truly trying to become a complete receiver, and I think that will show on the field.”