The Pittsburgh Steelers will return home looking to put their Week 4 loss on the road to the Cleveland Browns far behind them. As they welcome the Indianapolis Colts to Acrisure Stadium, they look to carry over some momentum on offense as it has looked better the past two weeks. Wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. was expected to be a key piece to an offensive turnaround in the 2026 season. However, many fans argue his season to this point has been a disappointment. This comes with him having played in three of their four games, missing a game with a foot injury.
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Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (11) stands on the field and looks off into the distance while the team works out during a training camp practice at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
Through his three games in his first year with the franchise, he has just seven catches for 89 yards in that time. During those contests, he has started each time. However, it may be time to wonder if he may need some more time down for that foot injury he sustained.
On Tuesday, team insider Nick Farabaugh hosted an episode of the Steelers Breakdown Live podcast to discuss some keys to the upcoming week for the franchise. He made mention of some things that he is seeing that have not gone right for the offense through the first four weeks. In doing so, he also questioned something very concerning with the status of the veteran wide receiver.
“I think part of it is Pittman Jr. has been a total zero,” Farabaugh said. “I think that is one part of this, is he just has not been good enough. Part of that might be the fact that he’s battling through a foot injury and every time I see him in the locker room, he’s got a heavy limp. You’ve got to wonder is Michael Pittman Jr. doing more harm than good playing through a plantar fascia injury that’s really painful?”
The questioning of the significance of this injury possibly lingering is not a good sign for the Black and Gold. With the struggles by the former Colts wide receiver, he truly could be doing more harm than good by being out on the field as Farabaugh alluded to. While doing so, it could be hurting the team while also taking a big chance of making the injury worse in the long run.
The expectation in trading for Pittman this offseason was more than just about improving the offense under new head coach Mike McCarthy. The hope was to also help to free up wide receiver DK Metcalf, who struggled at times in the 2025 season. Those struggles have not gone away this season, as he has put up just 53.3 receiving yards per game. Should Pittman's injury truly be more of a concern than it seems, McCarthy will need to find answers outside of him to not make matters worse.
Steelers Have Internal Solutions To Avoid Major Issue With Pittman
The Steelers do have a couple of solutions internally that could help out to avoid a big issue long-term with their veteran wide receiver. Roman Wilson, despite still making mistakes with drops, has made the most of the limited opportunities he has had. His 14 receptions for 188 yards so far this season are good for 13.4 yards per reception and 47 yards per game, not far behind the veteran Metcalf. Rookie Germie Bernard is another wide receiver that has seen limited time, but could help out this lingering injury issue.
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Steelers wide receiver Roman Wilson running for a touchdown during a game against the Bengals in September 2026.
The plantar fasciitis injury is extremely tricky, especially as it can linger around for a long time. With Farabaugh making it public that he can see a visible limp in the locker room, the injury could be more of a concern than initially thought after Pittman returned for Week 3. The Black and Gold would be wise to re-evaluate the situation in order to make sure the foot issue does not become more severe.
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