The Pittsburgh Steelers finally have a legitimate one-two punch at the wide receiver position for the first time in a good while. DK Metcalf will now be joined by Michael Pittman Jr., who the organization traded for right before the new league year starting. Despite this acquisition, the only other two individuals on the WR depth chart are Roman Wilson and Ben Skowronek. Neither is currently expected to be a go-to guy in 2026, and while things can change, it certainly seems as if the front office will be interested in taking a wideout rather early on once the NFL Draft commences at the end of April.
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Steelers wide receiver Roman Wilson (10) stands on the field as he walks next to teammates while going through stretching during a 2025 training camp practice at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
General Manager Omar Khan will have options, especially because he bolstered nearly every positional group that needed some help throughout the first few weeks of free agency. It will be interesting to see which direction the organization decides to go in and what makes everything even more fascinating is that the brass is projected to have a total of 12 picks.
During a Monday morning appearance on The Fan Morning Show, Steelers insider Mark Kaboly was asked about what position the team may be looking to target with the 21st overall selection. The expectation for the reporter is that the front office will decide to boost the receiving corps even more, considering the depth chart remains very thin.
"I still think it points all towards wide receiver," Kaboly said of the Steelers' intentions with the 21st overall pick. "I mean, you still got two 29-year-old wide receivers here in a room that's not really been filled out much. What do you have, four total maybe? I mean, with who has experience with [Ben] Skowronek and if you want to call Roman Wilson — I think they combined for what, 15 receptions last year?"
One of the reasons that Khan is set to have 12 picks to work with is because the Steelers have the maximum amount of compensatory selections. He was very savvy regarding the formula during 2025 free agency. Now, it appears as if he is keeping that in mind again. If Pittsburgh does add another free-agent wideout, it will have to wait several weeks until it won't hurt the franchise for 2027.
"I don't think there's anything out there that you're going to go grab," Kaboly noted. "You going to go grab a Van Jefferson, Robert Woods-like [player] after the April, what is that, April 10th or April 17th deadline of the free agency counting against compensatory picks."
At this point, there are not any really season-altering veterans still looking for homes. Because of this, it wouldn't necessarily make sense for the Steelers to bring another free agent in right now. The available parties are still on the market for a reason, and it's not necessary to bring one in if it has even the slightest chance of messing up Pittsburgh's compensatory situation for 2027.
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Steelers General Manager Omar Khan stands over near and signs pictures for the fans as the team prepares to work out during a training camp practice at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
Pittsburgh has operated a bit differently compared to the past with Khan running the show. Compensatory selections have been something that the organization values, so there's no reason to believe that it will stop taking that approach if at all possible.
The formula is very tricky to understand, but regardless, it appears as if the Steelers aren't interested in taking any chances, despite a veteran signing probably being relatively inexpensive.
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Steelers General Manager Omar Khan sits with his arms crossed as he watches how the draft board is shaping up during an intense weekend that helped shape the future of the franchise.
Steelers Could Completely Revamp Their Receiving Corps
If the decision is made not to sign anyone else that is currently available, Pittsburgh might absolutely be looking at selecting two pass-catchers in the 2026 NFL Draft. That would turn into a unit of Metcalf, Pittman, Wilson, Skowronek, and the two rookies. When taking a step back and thinking it through, this seems to be the best course of action because of how much money is being set aside for the top two on the depth chart.
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