The Pittsburgh Steelers have undergone some wholesale changes on the offensive side of the ball this offseason. They have a new coordinator, as former Atlanta Falcons head coach Arthur Smith was hired to lead the offense.
He will have new quarterbacks to work with, as the entire depth chart from last season is gone. Kenny Pickett was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles, Mitchell Trubisky was released and Mason Rudolph signed with the Tennessee Titans in free agency.
Taking their places will be veteran Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. Wilson was signed after the Denver Broncos released him and Fields was acquired in a trade from the Chicago Bears, who will be turning their franchise over to No. 1 pick, Caleb Williams.
The Steelers have done a great job of shoring things up in the trenches, as their offensive line will be much improved. However, the team could still use some help at wide receiver after trading Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers.
That left George Pickens as the only established wide receiver on the roster. Pittsburgh will be relying on a combination of Calvin Austin, Van Jefferson, Quez Watkins, Scotty Miller and Cordarrelle Patterson behind him. A third-round pick was also used on Roman Wilson in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Given their penchant for developing wide receivers, the Steelers should be able to coax some value out of at least one of those receivers. But, if they want to make a low-risk, high-reward kind of addition, the Titans could be the perfect trade partner.
Over at ESPN, Bill Barnwell pitched some ideas of moves that should happen this NFL offseason. One of them was the Steelers acquiring former first-round pick, wide receiver Treylon Burks, from the Titans.
“After trading away Diontae Johnson this offseason, the Steelers have an opening on the outside. They used a third-round pick on Roman Wilson, who might profile best as a slot receiver earlier in his career, while former Rams wideout Van Jefferson hasn’t been productive in much better offenses as a pro. If the Titans are willing to eat $6 million of what’s left on Burks’ deal, I could see the logic in Pittsburgh sending a 2026 sixth-round pick to Tennessee to give him a fresh start,” Barnwell wrote.
Burks has the profile of a player who can make some plays on the perimeter. Injuries have been a hindrance in his first two seasons in the NFL, but a fresh start could do him some good.
Expectations were through the roof, as he was essentially selected as an A.J. Brown replacement. He hasn’t lived up to that, but the potential is still there for him to develop into a good NFL player.
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