The Steelers may have another veteran wideout to consider, and this one just hit the market at the right time.
New York released Darius Slayton just before the season opener, cutting loose its longest-tenured player and creating a possible opening for a team still looking for more certainty at receiver. Pittsburgh already believes Roman Wilson can handle the No. 3 job behind DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr., but the Steelers’ wideout room has been a source of uncertainty for years. If there’s a chance to add insurance before Week 1, Slayton suddenly looks like a real option.
The Steelers have had interest in him before. They were in on trading for Slayton at the last two trade deadlines, but never got a deal done. Now he’s available without the cost of a trade, and that changes the equation.
Slayton is 29 and has played in 106 career games with 78 starts. He’s caught 296 passes for 4,435 yards and 22 touchdowns.
Last season, he started 12 games, went for 538 yards and scored once. He hasn’t topped 600 receiving yards since 2023.
That said, Pittsburgh doesn’t need a headline-grabbing star. It needs a usable WR3, maybe more of an insurance policy than a centerpiece.
Slayton fits that kind of assignment. If Wilson and Germie Bernard both work out, the Steelers won’t need him.
If they don’t, a veteran like Slayton gives them a dependable fallback.
He should also come cheap. Because he was released with more than $9 million in guaranteed money attached, Slayton will likely be looking at a veteran-minimum type of deal and a chance to compete for a role. Pittsburgh has a role available, and that could matter when he weighs his next move.
He isn’t the ideal answer, but the Steelers aren’t exactly shopping from a deep aisle right now. Tyreek Hill would make sense if Wilson and Bernard don’t pan out, but that feels like a long shot.
So if Pittsburgh wants to get ahead of the problem, Slayton is the kind of move that makes sense. The sooner he arrives, the sooner he can learn the offense and be ready if the Steelers need him.
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Mike Tomlins offense may have to lean more on less experienced receivers and other pieces around the passing game if Metcalf and Pittman are not fully ready. That creates a different kind of Week 1 question for the Steelers, one with implications beyond a single game: whether the group can function well enough early on to keep the offense on schedule while its top names catch up on the work they lost in camp. [Read more 🡒]
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For Pittsburgh, the issue is less about which name is eventually announced than the preparation problem that comes with not knowing. The Falcons are the only team in the league without a starter set entering the regular season, which leaves the Steelers waiting on a key detail that should have been settled long before opening weekend. That kind of uncertainty can change how a defense studies film, plans its pressures and spends the final days before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Are Watching A Young Quarterback With One Complicated Catch
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Taylors season-opening performance helped explain why NFL teams are paying attention. He showed the kind of dual-threat ability that can change the feel of a game, and that sort of upside is hard to ignore from a quarterback-needy team like Pittsburgh. The complication is just as clear, though: Taylor is still very early in his college career, with eligibility left to spend, so any real NFL timeline remains a moving target. [Read more 🡒]