As the Pittsburgh Steelers prepare to visit the Los Angeles Chargers on “Sunday Night Football,” their receiving corps looks like it did before the trade deadline.
The offseason acquisition of DK Metcalf to become their No. 1 receiver undoubtedly paid off, and Calvin Austin III had a nice No. 2 catch. But Steelers fans believed the front office was preparing for an upgrade at the position with Roman Wilson largely a flop and Scotty Miller still injured.
Pittsburgh’s front office certainly tried. Multiple reports indicated that general manager Omar Khan made offers for New Orleans’ Rashid Shaheed, who preferred to go to Seattle; Jakobi Meyers of Las Vegas, who preferred Jacksonville; and the greatest of them all, Miami’s Jaylen Waddle, who ultimately wasn’t traded.
The only receiver the Steelers recently added to the group was former Packer turned journeyman Marquez Valdes-Scantling. Look up Allen Lazard’s numbers and ask Jets fans what Aaron Rodgers thinks about calling his old buddies for a pitch and catch!
But the narrative about Pittsburgh’s shallow receiving depth has gotten out of hand. That’s probably not a hindrance to the Steelers’ short-term hopes of not improving at that particular position this week.
Let’s start with the obvious: The Steelers would really have to screw up to miss the playoffs given their track record. The Ravens scouted them with a head start in the AFC North race, although they look more competent now with the return of Lamar Jackson. The Bungles and Brownies aren’t costing opposing coaches any sleep this season.
Just last week, Pittsburgh beat the Colts – who have often looked like the better team in football this year – and they did it by a total of 38 rushing yards. Rodgers didn’t need the help of an elite receiver to turn in above-average or very good performances, a bounce-back from his forgettable tenure with the Jets.
Perhaps it’s because at almost 42 years old, Rodgers fits Arthur Smith’s project perfectly. And maybe five of the Steelers’ top seven receivers are tight ends or running backs, because that’s exactly what a Smith offense looks like.
Because I watched this extremely entertaining and well-researched video during the preseason, it’s no surprise to me that Jonnu Smith is second on the Steelers in targets. Arthur Smith wants to use tight ends – he likes to use Jonnu in particular – and combining Pat Freiermuth with the veteran makes for a solid tandem.
The Steelers use 11 personnel (one running back, one tight end, three wide receivers) just 33.5 percent of the time, less than any team in the league, according to their own team website. This offensive coordinator lives for these multi-tight packages. Having a running back like Jaylen Warren and his 210 yards after catch helps here too.
The system allowed Rodgers to total 3.7 air yards per completion, ranking 30th out of 31 qualified quarterbacks. It’s dinks. It’s dunks. It’s not flashy football, but it works.
Rodgers is past the point in his career where he makes dozens of shots down the field against a deep ball threat like Davante Adams. (When has Adams ever won a Super Bowl, anyway?)
Arthur Smith’s offense is built around control, pace and execution – not heroics. With tight ends and backs leading the passing attack, the Steelers’ approach may not be explosive, but it is durable.
If I were a Steelers fan, I’d be much more worried about their 32nd-ranked pass defense as a potential falloff in December or January.
Having Jaylen Waddle in black and gold would have been a luxury – not the missing piece to guarantee a championship.
