The Steelers’ receiver room looks mostly spoken for heading into training camp, but there’s still one spot worth watching.
When Pittsburgh reports on July 28, DK Metcalf, Michael Pittman, Germie Barnard, Ben Skowronek and Kaden Wetjen appear set to take five of the six wide receiver spots on the 53-man roster. Metcalf and Pittman are lined up as the top two options, Barnard is expected to be the primary slot receiver, Skowronek brings special teams value, and Wetjen should handle return duties after becoming the only player in college football history to win The Jet Award twice.
That leaves Roman Wilson sitting in the No. 4 spot for now, and the former Michigan wideout still hasn’t done much to lock it down. As a rookie, he played only a small handful of snaps, then caught just 12 passes in 2025 and spent most of December as a healthy scratch. He finally got a helmet in Week 17 after DK Metcalf was suspended for the final two games of the year, but he did not play in Week 18 against the Baltimore Ravens.
Pittsburgh doesn’t currently have a true challenger on the roster for that role, which is why a veteran addition makes sense. Two names with ties to the current staff stand out: Curtis Samuel and Noah Brown.
Samuel spent the last two seasons with the Buffalo Bills, where he played for new wide receivers coach Adam Henry. The $24 million deal he signed didn’t pan out the way Buffalo hoped, mostly because of injuries, but his track record still matters.
He went over 60 catches in both 2022 and 2023 with the Washington Commanders, scoring eight total touchdowns across those seasons. With Buffalo, he added 38 catches in 20 games over the last two years and has also shown plenty of versatility, including seven rushing touchdowns in his career.
Brown is another familiar name. He had his best year with the Cowboys in 2022 under Mike McCarthy, catching 43 passes for 555 yards and three touchdowns as Dallas won 12 games.
He spent six seasons in Dallas, including two with Adam Henry, who was McCarthy’s receivers coach there from 2020-21. Brown was limited to four games in 2025 because of injury, but he still gave teams useful production as depth in Houston in 2023 and Washington in 2024.
Bringing in Samuel, Brown or both would give the Steelers a real battle for that final spot. Wilson can either seize the job or get pushed aside by a more proven veteran. Either way, Pittsburgh seems likely to add at least one receiver before camp opens.
In Other News...
DK Metcalf Is Already Turning Steelers Rookie Eli Heidenreich Into A Camp Story
Eli Heidenreich has already found a way to stand out in Steelers camp, and it starts with the kind of attention rookies usually hope to earn later in the summer. The seventh-round pick out of Navy has drawn a nickname from DK Metcalf, who has been calling him Captain America after seeing him on the field, a fitting label for a player whose path to Pittsburgh has always been built around toughness, versatility and doing a little bit of everything.
For the Steelers, Heidenreich is the sort of camp name worth tracking because his role could come in more than one form. He is competing for special teams work and a possible spot in the backfield mix, where his speed and flexibility give him a chance to push for a place on the depth chart as training camp and the preseason unfold. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Offseason Just Got Hit With A Brutal National Reality Check
ESPNs Seth Walder took a skeptical look at the Steelers 2026 offseason, handing the group a C+ and casting doubt on whether the moves were enough to keep Pittsburgh in the AFC North race. The biggest concerns centered on the quarterback room and the front offices willingness to double down on Aaron Rodgers, while Walder also took issue with the trade for Michael Pittman Jr. as the team tried to reshape its offense.
Patrick Grahams defense may end up carrying much of the load if the Steelers are to stay in the conversation, and that only raises the pressure on a roster that is about to report to training camp on July 28 under new head coach Mike McCarthy. For a team trying to reset without losing its edge, the next few weeks will say plenty about whether this offseason was a calculated bet or a step backward. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Fans Just Got A Surprising Mike McCarthy Prediction
Mike McCarthy is already getting a little extra attention before his first season with his hometown team even begins, and not just because of the usual expectations that come with coaching in Pittsburgh. NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks recently floated McCarthy as a long-shot pick for the 2026 Coach of the Year award, a nod that says as much about the Steelers ceiling as it does about the coachs rsum.
For that kind of recognition to become real, the pieces around McCarthy have to come together quickly. Brooks pointed to Aaron Rodgers settling in at quarterback and Patrick Graham helping the defense find its edge again, which puts the spotlight on whether this group can look more complete than it did a year ago. McCarthy has built a winning career, but the award has somehow never been part of it, and this season may be the one that decides whether that changes. [Read more 🡒]