Steelers' Zach Azzanni Has Extremely High Expectations For Pittsburgh's Wide Receiving Core

The Pittsburgh Steelers didn't have one of the league's best passing attacks in 2023, and after the team traded Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers, it's hard to say the receiver room has improved talent wise. The Steelers drafted Roman Wilson in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft and signed a few veteran receivers in Scotty Miller, Van Jefferson and Quez Watkins to provide some much needed depth at the position. 

Everyone knows about the potential improvement that comes with the additions of Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith, and quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, but one offseason move that hasn't been talked about enough that can bring the offense a spark is new wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni. Azzanni was the receivers coach for the New York Jets in 2023. 

While the Jets had a weak passing attack, Azzanni's receivers dealt with poor quarterback play all season after Aaron Rodgers suffered a season-ending Achilles tear in Week 1. Rising star Garrett Wilson had over 1,000 receiving yards with Azzanni as his positional coach. Garrett Wilson and Steelers' number one receiver George Pickens both came out of the 2022 draft class and while they're very different receivers, Azzanni has a chance to get the best out of Pickens with his expectations of excellence.

Azzanni has quickly won over his group of receivers. In a locker room interview posted on the team's official website, Calvin Austin III said that Azzanni is holding the group to a high standard.

"He don't play that. He's that coach that you know, mediocrity and him don't really mesh." 

Austin is headed into his third season with the Steelers and hasn't proven to be much more than a gadget player and if Azzanni can work with Austin III's blazing speed to make him a more complete receiver, the receiver room has a chance to be extremely explosive. Austin continued to expand on what Azzanni is expecting from the group of wide receivers currently on the roster. Not a single one can put his work ethic on cruise control.

"So if you're going to try to just come in and cruise on through, nah, you can't, that ain't gonna happen. It's gonna be a clash because he's going to get the best out of you." 

Austin then went on to compare Azzanni to his former college head coach at Memphis - Mike Norvell. He compared Azzanni to Norvell because Norvell "wanted perfection every single day." 

The guys in the Steelers' receivers room may not be proven stars, but they certainly have potential to produce at a high level, and Azzanni is the best guy to help them reach their full potential. Earlier in the 2024 offseason, the Steelers' third rounder in Roman Wilson said that Azzanni has a "no [BS]" coaching style. Azzani has built a reputation throughout the league in his seven years in the NFL off of his tough coaching style coming into Pittsburgh, he hasn't changed and don't expect him to.

If Azzanni's expectation of excellence and hatred of mediocrity rub off on the Steelers' receiving core, the offense has the capability to make a splash in 2024. The offense has been completely revamped with a new offensive coordinator, new quarterbacks and an underrated receivers coach in Azzanni. Steelers fans know that the defense can be relied on, but scoring points on offense has been a struggle in recent years. 

Putting it all together in 2024 will mean the wide receiver room has to exceed expectations and they certainly can if Azzanni gets through to them. It will be interesting to see which of Azzanni's receivers make the 53-man roster and more importantly, which receivers carve out a role in Smith's offense. Smith and Azzanni have a lot of speed at the receiver position to work with; it's just going to come down to getting the receivers technically sound and crafty with their route-running.

Do you think Azzanni will make a big impact on the Steelers' wide receivers in 2024? Let us know in the comments below!

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