The Pittsburgh Steelers have revamped their wide receiver corps throughout the 2026 offseason. First, the decision was made to acquire Michael Pittman Jr. via a trade with the Indianapolis Colts. Then, once the NFL Draft rolled along, the team moved up in the second round to select Germie Bernard out of the University of Alabama. Those two newcomers, paired with DK Metcalf, should certainly make for a more formidable unit moving forward. This is something that the franchise has been looking to fix for several years. Now, there is a legitimate trio in the locker room that could wreak havoc on opposing defenses come the regular season.
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Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf sets up at the line of scrimmage while the team gets a workout in during 2025 training camp as fans watch the annual Friday Night Lights practice in Latrobe, PA.
Despite the changes in the room, an injury to one of the top three would move Roman Wilson up the depth chart as of now, and he hasn't exactly inspired too much confidence over the course of his first two seasons in the NFL. This simple fact has led to plenty of speculation about the Steelers possibly making a move to bring in one more contributor who could make an impact.
Recently, Pittman created some headlines when he commented on an Instagram post encouraging JuJu Smith-Schuster to come back to the city in which he was drafted. The veteran wideout remains a free agent and could be waiting for the perfect situation to pop up in the coming months. This is often the case with players that have a lot of experience.
Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette hosted a fan chat on Wednesday morning and there were a ton of offseason topics to discuss. Someone chimed in and asked if Pittman's social media recruitment of Smith-Schuster was an indictment on the current group. That notion was shut down quickly, as was the idea that Smith-Schuster could be returning to Pittsburgh.
"Not at all," Dulac responded. "And that's not happening."
Injuries could hypothetically change this possibility, but one of the Steelers' top insiders seems to think there is absolutely no chance that the former second-round pick has a path back to the Steel City. Anything could happen in the grand scheme of things; however, if fans got a little bit excited initially at Pittman's Instagram comment, those feelings should be tempered because of the current state of the receiving corps.
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Former Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster stands on the playing surface at then-Heinz Field while he warms up with his teammates prior to a professional football game in Pittsburgh, PA.
The excitement for the new partners-in-crime is well warranted. Metcalf, Pittman and Bernard will hopefully provide the Steelers with the most productive unit that they have had in some time. There's no real point to bring in someone like Smith-Schuster who would be stashed on the depth chart. Besides, the veteran might have no interest in playing in Pittsburgh if he was set to be slotted as fourth or fifth on the depth chart.
One of the other pieces to this puzzle is that the franchise still has Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington. These are two more playmakers that should be heavily involved in the offense. That duo combined with the aforementioned three immediately seems like there already are too many mouths to feed. Freiermuth was not utilized nearly enough in 2025, so adding another experienced pass-catcher to the mix essentially isn't worth the complexity of getting another player the ball.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth (88) jogs on the field with a football as the team works out and prepares for the regular season during a 2025 training camp at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
Steelers Will Likely Reassess Free Agent Options In August
If it is true that the front office in Pittsburgh has no desire to add to the receiver room in May, or even before training camp, that could certainly change when the preseason hits. Injuries are part of the game and players from around the league also end up getting cut for one reason or another. It'd be foolish to ignore someone that could possibly help the offense right away; however, Smith-Schuster does not seem to be in the plans now, or really anytime soon after Dulac's comments.
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