The Steelers, with a new offensive coordinator, cleaned house with the quarterbacks. And about the same as happening at wide receiver.
There are two holdovers from last season — George Pickens and Calvin Austin. Subsequently, the Steelers traded Diontae Johnson to the Titans and released Allen Robinson, the Nos. 2 and 3 receivers from a season ago.
The newcomers are Quez Watkins, Van Jefferson and Scotty Miller. Plus, the Steelers used a third-round draft pick to select former Michigan star Roman Wilson.
Watkins had been with the Eagles since Philly picked him out of Southern Miss in the sixth round of the 2020 draft. Now, he has a chance to compete for the Steelers second receiving option. Pickens is the undisputed first option for either Russell Wilson or Justin Fields/
“For me, when I saw they traded Diontae, it was a great opportunity to potentially be a No. 2 or whatever they want me to do,” Watkins said in an interview with the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. “t’s a good opportunity to compete for that spot.”
A year ago, the Eagles started out on fire, then ended the season with a string of losses. Although Philly seemed headed to the Super Bowl at one point of the season, they meekly bowed out of the playoffs in a loss to the Bucs in the wildcard round. Watkins started only five games as he dealt with a strained hamstring, a killer injury for anyone with speed.
Steelers fans, would you like to see one of Watkins’ greatest hits? Try this 91-yarder via Jalen Hurts from 2021. Remember that Watkins ran a 4.35-second 40-yard dash in the leadup to the 2020 draft.
The Steelers are reworking their offense. Pittsburgh hired Arthur Smith, the former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. Before the Falcons, Smith was the offensive coordinator of the Tennessee Titans. And since he’s arrived in Steel City, Smith’s offense has added all new quarterbacks and mostly new receivers. They’ve stuck with the same running backs. And they used the draft to fix holes on the offensive line.
The receivers should be a super competitive spot for playing time. Jefferson already knows the offense. The Rams traded him to the Falcons midway through 2023. So he’s already played for Smith. Meanwhile, Miller also played for Smith last year in Atlanta. Roman Wilson is the rookie of the group who needs to learn everything.
So far, coach Mike Tomlin likes what he sees of the new receivers.
“I’m pleased with the work that we’re getting from that group,” the coach told reporters. “I like the overall trajectory of it. We’ve got some young and developing players, some guys that are excited about showing what they’re capable of.”
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