The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted a return specialist in April, but apparently they do not intend to keep Kaden Wetjen trapped inside that job description forever. As final cuts approach, Mark Kaboly believes the fourth-round rookie is likely safe for a reason that extends beyond punts and kickoffs. Pittsburgh sees a future receiver hiding underneath all that open-field chaos.
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Steelers return specialist Kaden Wetjen coughs up the football on a punt return.
Wetjen's immediate path onto the 53-man roster has always been easy to understand. The Steelers selected him 121st overall after he became one of college football's most dangerous return men at Iowa, where he averaged 17.7 yards per punt return and 27.5 on kickoffs while scoring six combined return touchdowns. Pittsburgh now lists him first at both kick returner and punt returner on its current depth chart.
The offensive projection was murkier. Wetjen finished his Iowa career with only 23 catches for 197 yards, making him considerably more accomplished at ruining special-teams coaches' afternoons than at building a conventional receiving résumé. Even the Steelers' own post-draft breakdown described him as a return specialist first. Kaboly believes Pittsburgh sees more runway than that.
During a recent discussion, Kaboly was asked whether Wetjen could actually be vulnerable when the roster is reduced to 53. His response suggested the organization is evaluating the rookie with a much longer horizon than one September return job.
“They view him as a potential long-term wide receiver option as a three or a four. So, I don’t think so. I think with that and a fourth-round pick, I think that he pretty much makes it,” Kaboly said.
That changes the economics of keeping Wetjen. A roster spot devoted exclusively to returning kicks can become expensive because Pittsburgh still needs enough receivers, defensive backs and coverage players to survive a Sunday. A returner who might eventually become WR3 or WR4 gives the coaching staff two possible answers inside one helmet.
Head Coach Mike McCarthy has emphasized positional flexibility since arriving in Pittsburgh, repeatedly discussing the need for players to contribute across multiple downs and roles. Official team coverage specifically identified Wetjen before camp as somebody whose special-teams specialty could be paired with an offensive niche.
His preseason debut against the Green Bay Packers provided a rather loud example. Wetjen caught both of his targets for 79 yards and a touchdown, including a 74-yard catch-and-run that showed how quickly a harmless-looking completion can become a defensive staff meeting. His speed in space translates whether the football reaches him from a punter or a quarterback.
Pittsburgh's earlier look at that upside also highlighted why the offensive possibilities are intriguing. Wetjen does not need to become an every-down boundary target immediately. Screens, shallow routes, motion and manufactured touches can let McCarthy exploit the same acceleration that made him dangerous on returns.
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Pittsburgh Steelers wide receivers Kaden Wetjen (10) and Roman Wilson (14) during 2026 training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
The second exhibition against the New York Jets delivered the other side of the rookie experience. Wetjen did not record a reception and fumbled once without losing possession, while Special Teams Coordinator Danny Crossman later identified ball security as the biggest issue requiring correction. One shaky night does not erase the roster argument, but it reinforced why Pittsburgh is still developing him rather than treating the fourth-rounder as a finished specialist.
Kaboly's mention of draft status deserves context, too. Being picked in the fourth round is not a lifetime membership card. NFL clubs cut recent selections every summer when the evaluation turns badly enough. Pittsburgh simply has more incentive to remain patient with a rookie it valued at No. 121, particularly when his elite return background already gives him a legitimate game-day function while the receiving portion develops.
The current depth chart offers another clue. Wetjen is listed directly behind Roman Wilson at one receiver spot while simultaneously holding both primary return jobs. That does not guarantee offensive snaps, but it hardly resembles a player being stored in a special-teams-only corner of the roster.
His receiving ceiling will require considerably more evidence. College offered only a tiny sample, and one 74-yard preseason play cannot suddenly transform Wetjen into a polished route runner. The Steelers still need cleaner assignments, dependable hands and enough technical growth that putting him on offense does not announce a gadget play before the snap.
Steelers Can Afford To Develop Wetjen While He Handles The Dirty Work
Wetjen's roster case becomes unusually convenient because Pittsburgh does not need the future version immediately. If he handles punts and kickoffs reliably in 2026, the rookie can justify Sundays while McCarthy and his staff continue teaching him how to become a more complete wideout.
That is different from a developmental receiver occupying the fifth or sixth spot while contributing almost nothing elsewhere. Wetjen already has a specialty capable of changing field position, and Kaboly believes the organization thinks there is enough underneath it to eventually grow into a regular depth role on offense.
Ball security still has to be fixed. Route detail has to improve. His final preseason opportunities remain useful because Pittsburgh can evaluate whether the explosive plays are becoming attached to a more dependable overall player.
The fourth-round investment gives Wetjen patience, not immunity. His dual-return ability gives him immediate usefulness, not permission to stop developing.
Put those pieces together, though, and Kaboly sees a rookie who has considerably more protection than the average player sweating through final cuts. Wetjen was drafted to return footballs. Pittsburgh may keep him because it thinks one day he can do much more after catching them.
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