The Steelers can take a play out of the Detroit Lions playbook
The Pittsburgh Steelers added another receiver to their roster, but not the caliber of receiver fans were hoping for.
Pittsburgh added former Falcons and Buccaneers receiver Scotty Miller to an already crowded room competing for depth spots on the roster.
While the Steelers would love to acquire a true talent to start on the boundary opposite of George Pickens, they can make do with what they have by taking a page out of the Detroit Lions’ book.
Amon-Ra St. Brown is one of the finest receivers in the NFL. He had 164 targets, which was fifth in the NFL, and his 119 catches were tied for second in the league. And he did all of this predominantly as a slot receiver. 55 percent of his snaps came lined up in the slot. The Indianapolis Colts and Josh Downs is utilized even more in the slot with 81 percent of his snaps coming as a slot receiver, which was second in the NFL last season of all receivers with at least 50 targets. Downs and St. Brown are each of their respective teams’ No. 1 receivers, and they operate predominantly from the slot with boundary receivers that are less than optimal.
The Lions’ top boundary target last season was Josh Reynolds- he had 64 targets and 40 catches. Jameson Williams had 42 targets and 24 catches. And similar to what the Steelers will look to do offensively, the Lions really leaned on the run game. David Montgomery ran for 1,015 yards and Jahmyr Gibbs ran for 945, yet Jared Goff still threw for almost 4,600 yards. They were arguably the most balanced offensive attack in football without a top-tier perimeter receiver. This is all to say that while everyone would like the Steelers to add a big name opposite of George Pickens, there is a real possibility that the hopes of DK Metcalf or Brandon Aiyuk end up actually being Darius Slayton or Treylon Burks.
If that’s the case, the Steelers will really lean on rookie Roman Wilson to be a big producer alongside George Pickens, who would also need to continue improving as a route-runner to take over as the predominant No. 1 receiver. A top three group of Pickens, Slayton, and Wilson or Pickens, Wilson, and Burks wouldn’t be a top five trio on paper, but again, look at the Lions’ model- the Steelers have a lot of what the Lions have:
- Two running backs
- A good tight end
- A good offensive line
- A talented wide receiver who is utilized mostly in the slot
The Steelers have two running backs in Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris, a receiving threat tight end in Pat Freiermuth, an offensive line that should be much improved, and the ability to utilize both George Pickens and Roman Wilson in the slot, while also having Pickens’ ability to make splash plays on the outside. So even if the eventual addition at receiver isn’t flashy, Pittsburgh can have a productive offense with pieces they already have.