The Pittsburgh Steelers' 2026 offseason has seen many changes thus far. Beyond hiring Mike McCarthy as their next head coach, the front office made several moves when free agency opened up to help out the 2026 roster. One of those moves came in the form of wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., who they acquired via trade with the Indianapolis Colts. They also added Germie Bernard in the 2026 NFL Draft from the University of Alabama. The wide receiver position was in dire need of upgrading, and the franchise addressed it accordingly.
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New Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy looks on during voluntary veteran minicamp during the 2026 offseason in Pittsburgh, PA.
While the organization has been praised for their aggressive approach in free agency, it can still be argued that they may not have done quite enough. While the wide receiver room definitely improved compared to what they had heading into the 2025 season, depth could be an issue. However, if wide receiver Roman Wilson can take a step forward in 2026, that could provide a massive jolt to the room.
It was recently mentioned that he will have a new role with the team in the 2026 season under McCarthy. However, even with the improvements within the room, team insider Nick Farabaugh recently mentioned on an episode of Steelers Breakdown that he has some concerns with the depth. He discussed that there could be a need at the position, especially if their 2024 third-round pick cannot turn the corner in the upcoming campaign.
“They need Roman Wilson,” Farabaugh said. “Or, they need to out and acquire an outside wide receiver. I mean the one guy I’ve always pointed to if they wanted to acquire one was Kayshon Boutte from the New England Patriots. He started last year on that Super Bowl team that lost to the Seahawks. He is probably on the way out because of the AJ Brown trade. You could probably have him for a day three pick. I mean that wouldn’t be a bad idea if that’s what you really needed.”
The idea of bringing in Kayshon Boutte may not be ideal to some, especially given the past heated meetings with the New England Patriots. However, given their addition of AJ Brown as Farabaugh mentioned this offseason, this idea makes a lot of sense.
Lexi Ehle / New England Patriots
Patriots WR Kayshon Boutte during the 2026 offseason.
Brown to New England could create a bit of a logjam in their wide receiver room, which would then pave the way for the former LSU Tigers standout to be moved to a team like Pittsburgh -- especially if Wilson does not figure it out in his third NFL season.
Steelers Must Acquire Help If Wilson Does Not Turn Corner In 2026
Acquiring Boutte for a day three pick as Farabaugh mentioned makes plenty of sense considering that New England took him in the sixth round of the 2023 NFL Draft. While he was drafted deep in that draft, his 2025 season saw him blossom into a great deep threat option for quarterback Drake Maye. While he had just 551 yards receiving and six touchdowns last year, he had a 16.7 yards per reception mark. Wilson, on the other hand, was taken with far more belief from his current team, as he was selected in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Roman Wilson flexes his muscles after a big time play on Sunday night against the Green Bay Packers.
With that said, 2026 very well could be now or never for the former Michigan wide receiver. In his rookie season, he suffered two separate injuries, where the second one ultimately ended his season early. Last year, he had just 12 receptions for 166 yards across 13 games for the Black and Gold. He does have a chance to turn over a new leaf with a new coaching staff in hopes to show flashes of what he once was in college.
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