The Pittsburgh Steelers need a wide receiver.
That sentence has been true for about a year and a half now, with the team shedding a starting wide receiver via trade in consecutive offseasons without really being able to replace them.
General manager Omar Khan traded Diontae Johnson for a cornerback in the spring in 2024, and wasn't able to replace him, missing on a Brandon Aiyuk trade at the 11th hour and settling for a trade deadline acquisition in Mike Williams that did not go well.
This year, he sent George Pickens packing in May, and again wasn't able to add another starting outside wide receiver to the room to complement DK Metcalf and Calvin Austin III.
Now that Austin is hurt, and expected to miss playing time , the need has gone from acute to a near-emergency for the Steelers at wide receiver.
Former third-round pick Roman Wilson can help replace Austin in the slot, but the Steelers do not have another obvious choice at outside receiver, with veterans Scotty Miller and Ben Skowronek providing stop-gaps, at best.
So is there a wide receiver that is or could be on the market that could help the Steelers? As you can imagine, the pickings are slim.
There are relatively few teams that would be willing to give up on a player four weeks into the season, and only a few more will get there over then next month. The competitive balance giant that is the NFL ecosystem keeps too many teams from falling out of contention too early, and many of the teams that do fall out of contention will be playing young quarterbacks, and won't want to impact their development by taking away their most-important targets.
So basically, you're left with two categories of players that might be available over the next few weeks: players on bad teams that don't have young quarterbacks and veterans who have fallen out of favor on their current squad.
After a quick search of NFL depth charts, here's what I've come up with:
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk during a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 30, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
This is probably the most appealing name on this list. Meyers requested a trade this offseason . The Raiders said no, and with new optimism with new head coach Pete Carroll and quarterback Geno Smith , that made sense. After a 1-3 start — and with games against the suddenly good Indianapolis Colts and Kansas City Chiefs coming up before the deadline — it's easy to see how that stance may weaken.
Meyers is in the final year of his contract, he's making $10.5 million this season, and while I don't think Mark Davis is hurting for the cash, it seems clear that Meyers won't help the Raiders win anything at this point. Why throw good money after bad?
On the field, Meyers has been solid if unspectacular, bringing in 21 of 33 targets for 258 yards. But his absence won't hurt Smith any, and there isn't a developmental prospect of note behind him other than former Steelers draft pick Kenny Pickett . Smith has a two-year deal, while Pickett only has one left, so it's not as if they plan to develop him for the future.
The Texans have a young-ish quarterback in C.J. Stroud , but it's not as if they're spending time this year evaluating his play or developing him for the future. They're trying to win now, but seem to be failing at it, with a 1-3 record and an offense that is a total mess under first-year offensive coordinator Nick Caley. Houston is 29th in the NFL in points scored with just 64 over the first four weeks, despite an overflow of weapons at the wide receiver position, even without Tank Dell , who has yet to suit up this season due to injury.
Kirk came over for a seventh-round pick this offseason and has just six catches for 45 yards while missing the first two games of the season with a hamstring injury. Kirk is in the final season of his contract, and likely won't be a part of Houston's future. Maybe they can flip him for some return if things continue to go sideways.
The 1-3 Texans face the Baltimore Ravens , Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers over the next four weeks, and could be staring up at a big divisional deficit by deadline day.
New York Jets wide receiver Allen Lazard during a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Oct. 20, 2024. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Lazard was a healthy scratch for the season opener between the Steelers and Jets. Since then, he's suited up in three straight, but has just three catches for 21 yards. The Jets have not been a dynamic passing offense with Justin Fields under center, but Lazard is currently tied for seventh on the team in targets, behind backup running back Isaiah Davis , back up tight end Jeremy Ruckert and three receivers. He's tied with rookie Aian Smith, who could easily pass him in that pecking order shortly.
Lazard is only on the Jets because he followed Aaron Rodgers there, and so it would be very fitting for the Jets to send him to Pittsburgh for the final season of his contract.
Samuel signed a three-year, $24 million free agent contract with the Bills last offseason, but failed to live up to those expectations in 2024 and 2025 has gotten off to an even worse start for the Ohio State product.
Samuel finished 2024 with a modest 253 yards on 31 catches and one touchdown. This time around, he's been a healthy scratch in three of four games and has just one catch for nine yards on the season.
Buffalo coach Sean McDermott inserted Samuel into the roster in Week 4 and also let him return kicks, a sign they may be trying to find a role for the formerly productive receiver, but if things don't click there, the next move for Samuel could be to the trade block.
Free agent wide receiver Tyler Boyd at his youth football camp at Clairton High School on June 29, 2025. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
There are also some players that are free agents that could be of some use to the Steelers, though this list is, obviously on Oct. 1, not full of super-intriguing names. I've selected a few potential candidates:
Diontae Johnson
Is he talented enough? Yes. Is his talent enough to outweigh the baggage he's carry? The rest of the league says no. Would the Steelers even entertain this? Probably not.
He has definitely lost a step, but I didn't think he'd be out of the league altogether this offseason. Boyd said he and Mike Tomlin stayed in touch this offseason . It's an idea.
Robert Woods did not necessarily impress during his stint with the Steelers in training camp, but he does know the offense, and was well-liked enough in the locker room. There are worse options.
Odell Beckham Jr.
Beckham was waived by the Dolphins in the middle of the 2024 season and has been a free agent ever since, although at 10 months without being on a roster, he's stretching the definition of that term.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Realistic Options for Steelers in WR Trade Market
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