Steelers' Mike Tomlin Confirms Recent Critical Wide Receivers' Role On Offense

The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off one of the biggest wins in all of Week 9 of the NFL season, defeating the Indianapolis Colts 27-20 in a shocking upset that not many would have predicted prior to the beginning of kickoff. The Steelers were able to force six turnovers and hold Colts quarterback Daniel Jones to one touchdown through the air, while throwing three interceptions, bringing him back to earth after a dominant stretch of games where Jones looked like an early candidate for league MVP. 

For as great as the Steelers' defense played against the Colts, the offense deserves a significant amount of credit as well. Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was very efficient with the football, spreading it around to nine different targets and not throwing a single interception. The offense was clicking, which is a continuing trend for the Steelers in recent weeks.

Even with the efficient play of the offense, the Steelers decided to continue to add to that side of the ball as Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin had previously alluded to in a press conference last week, signing veteran wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling to the practice squad after weeks of questions surrounding whether or not the team would sign him in the first place.

During his weekly press conference with the media, Tomlin was asked if the situation with Scantling would be a similar situation that they had with recently acquired safety Kyle Dugger with regards to how soon he could potentially see the field. Tomlin's response was straight to the point, providing a clear answer on if Scantling will be playing or not.

"He's just a practice squader right now," Tomlin remarked. "We'll get him in the fold and get him working and check his overall level of conditioning, how he learns and some of those things. It is not the Dugger discussion. He's just a practice squad guy."

When the Steelers made the trade for Dugger, it came on the heels of the injury to safety DeShon Elliott, who had been ruled out with a hyper-extended knee. Elliott was placed on injured reserve, which essentially meant the Steelers had to put Dugger on the field immediately when he arrived in Pittsburgh. He arrived on Wednesday and played on Sunday, playing almost every snap on defense, logging one solo tackle and three assisting tackles, which is impressive considering that Dugger didn't have a full week of practice with the team.

Tomlin's remarks regarding Scantling were meant to assure everyone that the veteran wide receiver was not signed to immediately contribute to the Steelers' offense. As of now, Scantling remains on the practice squad and is only one of two moves the Steelers have made before the 4 PM ET trade deadline on November 4th. Signing Scantling and confirming that he will be on the practice squad essentially gives the Steelers some room to continue to be active as the deadline approaches. 

Steelers Still Active Participants Before Trade Deadline Hits

The Steelers bringing Scantling in might not be the only move on offense the team makes before the deadline hits. They had been looking around at many different players across the league, getting consistent updates on certain players that they might be interested in, and are still actively watching to see how the trade market shapes up. 

Scantling provides a solid piece of depth to the Steelers' receiver room, and isn't going to be someone that is immediately brought up and expected to contribute immediately as mentioned. The Steelers are likely still shopping around for a wide receiver or another player at another impactful position that will do just that.

What did you think about Tomlin's comments regarding Scantling's status as a practice squad addition, not meant to be an immediate impact? Let us know in the comments or on X at @SteelersSwamp7.

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