The Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing to travel to Paris, France to take on the New Orleans Saints in Week 7. They will look to keep their winning streak against the NFC South as the Steelers have already beaten the Atlanta Falcons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the 2026 season. This is a highly-anticipated game as it is on the international stage, and it will be interesting to see how the Steelers can match up against a feisty Saints team that has shown some promise so far in 2026.
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Steelers' Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers prior to a road game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2026.
The offense for Pittsburgh has looked pretty good over the last month or so, despite the rough start to the game in Tampa Bay in Week 6. The unit will look to keep things going against New Orleans who currently has the 31st defense in the NFL when it comes to yards given, and the 29th defense in the NFL when it comes to points given up. Pittsburgh should be able to take advantage of that, but it won't be easy as the Steelers are pretty beat up at the wide receiver position with both Michael Pittman Jr. and Roman Wilson on Injured Reserve (IR).
In a necessary move to add another wide receiver to the roster, the Steelers signed Marquez Valdes-Scantling due to the injuries. He had recently played for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2026, but he was released after catching just two passes for the team. Beat writer Ray Fittipaldo joined 93.7 The Fan on Wednesday morning, and he was asked whether or not the receiver has a chance of earning a helmet for Sunday's game despite signing to the practice squad within the last week.
"Well, you know, the fact that they did not target Brandon Smith or Brandon Johnson the other day tells me that that might be a possibility," Fittipaldo said. "Last year, I know, totally different situation, totally different coaching staff, he was on the practice squad for like five or six weeks. Now it's a little bit of a different situation, a little bit more pressed for help at receiver. I wouldn't be surprised if it did happen, but I'm probably looking more so, maybe the Cleveland game, but if not, after the bye week."
It was known that Pittsburgh needed help at wide receiver after the injuries to two of the offense's starters at the position, and a lot of fans were hoping for some sort of splash move on the trade market. That could still happen with the deadline several weeks away, but bringing back a player like Valdes-Scantling always seemed like a move the Steelers were going to do.
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Steelers' Marquez Valdes-Scantling prior to a road game against the Detroit Lions in 2025.
Valdes-Scantling has history with the Steelers. He played with the team in 2025, but he also had the best years of his career while catching passes from Aaron Rodgers while the two were with the Green Bay Packers. He even played under Mike McCarthy for about half of a season in Green Bay during his rookie year.
This is a veteran wide receiver that Rodgers can trust, and he has been in some sort of offense being run by McCarthy before. It might not take him too long to get up to speed, which is why Fittipaldo seems to think there is a chance that he can be on the field on Sunday, less than a week after signing with the team.
Steelers' Got Some Production Out Of Marquez Valdes-Scantling In 2025
Valdes-Scantling played in five games for Pittsburgh during the 2025 season, and he was somewhat productive. He caught 10 passes for 80 yards and a touchdown, and he showed he still had some chemistry with Rodgers. This might be a new offense this year, but it feels like those two could probably work together throughout the week so that the veteran would be ready for game day.
What do you think about the Steelers potentially having Valdes-Scantling play against the Saints? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!
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