The Steelers’ receiver room is getting thin fast, and Week 6 only makes the problem louder. Pittsburgh will be without Michael Pittman, who is on IR with a foot injury, while Roman Wilson and Ben Skowronek also went down in the Week 5 win over the Colts and won’t be available against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
That leaves DK Metcalf, Germie Bernard, and Kaden Wetjen as the only receivers from the initial 53-man roster who are healthy. Brandon Smith was elevated on Sunday and could land a roster spot for Week 6, but if Pittsburgh wants to swing bigger and add a proven difference-maker, the trade market has a few names worth circling.
One option is Vikings wideout Jauan Jennings. He joined Minnesota this offseason after five seasons with the San Francisco 49ers and had produced steady numbers over his last two years there, finishing with 77 catches in 2024 and 55 receptions in 2025.
The production has not followed him to Minnesota yet - he has just two catches for nine yards - but his value still comes from the kind of work that doesn’t always show up in a highlight reel. Jennings has earned a reputation for handling the dirty work underneath, blocking hard, and hauling in passes through contact, which lines up with what Pittsburgh wants on offense.
A 2028 fifth-round pick would be a reasonable price.
Calvin Ridley is another name on the list, even if the fit comes with some age attached. The Titans receiver is in his ninth NFL season, and his role in Tennessee has been limited so far.
Through 2026, he has only five catches on eight targets. Still, Ridley is only a couple seasons removed from back-to-back 1,000-yard years in 2023 and 2024, and the idea here is simple enough: put him in a stronger offense with a quarterback like Aaron Rodgers and maybe some of that old production comes back.
He turns 32 before the season is over, which makes the price point important. A 2028 sixth-round pick would be fair value for the former Second-Team All-Pro.
If Pittsburgh wants to get aggressive, Jerry Jeudy is the swing. The Browns trading him to the Steelers would be a surprise, especially with both teams still alive in the playoff chase, but that alone doesn’t rule it out.
Division deals happen. Cleveland sent Joe Flacco to the Bengals last season, and Mike Tomlin was infamously really, really fine with it.
Jeudy put up 50 catches last year, but he’s off to a slow start in 2026 with eight receptions on 15 targets. A fifth-round pick could be enough to get a deal done for the 27-year-old.
Then there’s the biggest name of the bunch: Brian Thomas. After Marvin Harrison Jr was dealt to the Houston Texans in a splash move, Thomas now sits near the center of the receiver trade chatter.
The Jaguars’ 2024 Pro Bowler has been squeezed by Parker Washington’s rise, while Jakobi Meyers and Brenton Strange have become the second and third options in Jacksonville’s offense. Thomas was just shy of 1,300 yards in 2024, then injuries pulled him down to a little over 700 in 2025.
Through five games this season, he has nine catches for 105 yards. A third-round pick might be enough, and if Pittsburgh could pull it off, Thomas would walk in as the best receiver on the roster.
In Other News...
Mike Tomlin Still Feels Like A Steeler In One Important Way
Mike Tomlin may no longer be pacing the Steelers sideline, but he still sounds like someone who spent nearly two decades inside the building. After ending his 19-year run as Pittsburghs head coach following the 2025 season, Tomlin has moved into an NFL analyst role, and he recently acknowledged on a podcast that his long association with the franchise still shapes the way he sees it. For a fan base used to hearing his voice around the team every week, that lingering connection is hardly a surprise.
Pittsburgh is now trying to settle in under Mike McCarthy, who has guided the club to a 3-2 start heading into Week 6. The Steelers are still sorting through the early stages of a new coaching era, and Tomlins presence in the media only adds another layer to how the team is being watched from the outside. Even in a different job, he remains tied to the franchise in a way that feels hard to shake. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Trade Deadline Search Puts One Roster Need In The Spotlight
With the Nov. 10 trade deadline approaching, the Steelers search for help has put wide receiver front and center. Injuries have thinned the position enough to make outside additions worth exploring, and ESPN analysts have already floated a list of possible targets that includes Rashod Bateman, Quentin Johnston, Jauan Jennings and Jerry Jeudy, giving a clearer sense of the type of receiver market Pittsburgh may be forced to work through.
The fit, though, is far from simple. Some of the names come with obvious hurdles, whether it is the challenge of prying a player loose from another roster or the uncertainty around how realistic any deal actually is, and the Steelers also have to weigh how much they want to chase help at a spot that has become such an obvious need. As the deadline gets closer, Pittsburgh appears to be testing the market while knowing the most intriguing options may be the hardest ones to land. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Fans Still Remember This Wild Jerome Bettis Day In Tampa
Some Steelers memories from Tampa still land with a little extra weight, and the Oct. 21, 2001 trip to face the Buccaneers is one of them. Pittsburgh walked out with a 17-10 win in a defensive game, a result that fit the tone of that season and helped reinforce just how good that team had become.
Jerome Bettis was central to it in more ways than one, giving the offense a spark on a day when points were hard to find. The Steelers went on to finish 13-3, win the division and claim the AFCs top seed, a run that made that afternoon in Tampa feel even more meaningful in hindsight. [Read more 🡒]