The Steelers’ receiver room is in rough shape, and it may be getting uglier by the day.
Pittsburgh is already short-handed against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with Roman Wilson out because of a finger injury, Michael Pittman Jr. sidelined by a foot issue and Ben Skowronek missing time with a calf injury. Pittman Jr. is already on Injured Reserve, and DK Metcalf has been added to the injury report as questionable with an illness.
That would be enough trouble on its own, but there’s now a growing sense that Pittman Jr.’s absence could stretch well beyond the minimum stay on IR. According to Pat McAfee Show correspondent Mark Kaboly, there are “bad feelings” about Pittman Jr. returning anytime soon, and his foot injury could keep him out much longer than initially hoped.
If that holds, the Steelers will be leaning on a group that suddenly looks a lot thinner than it did on paper. Germie Bernard is emerging as a rookie, Metcalf is still Metcalf, and Wilson and Pittman Jr. were supposed to provide steady production. Instead, Pittsburgh may be staring at Bernard, Metcalf, Wilson, Skowronek and rookie returner Kaden Wetjen as its wide receiver options - and even that assumes the injuries stop piling up.
Wilson is expected to miss several weeks and could wind up on Injured Reserve himself. Skowronek’s timetable remains unclear. That leaves the Steelers scrambling to fill snaps any way they can.
So the offense may have to shift. Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington are expected to play major roles in the passing game, while running backs Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle should also see more usage.
Pittsburgh also appears set to keep cycling through practice-squad help. Brandon Smith was called up last week and is expected to be elevated again in Week 6.
He has one more game he can be brought up before the Steelers would need to sign him to the active roster. He’d be the top candidate to help replace Wilson and Pittman Jr., though he may not be enough if Wilson’s absence becomes long term.
At this point, outside help doesn’t seem to be on the immediate checklist. But if Pittman Jr. is out for most of the season and Wilson ends up on IR, that could change quickly.
For now, the expectation is that the Steelers will activate two wideouts against the Buccaneers. After that, Smith likely joins the 53-man roster, and Pittsburgh will keep leaning on Brandon Johnson or Isaiah Hodgins as its call-up options. If the injuries keep trending the wrong way, the Steelers may have to keep searching for answers.
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Steelers Suddenly Have A Rico Dowdle Decision To Make
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The bigger question is whether the Steelers treat Dowdle as part of the long-term plan or as a piece that could draw outside interest before the November 10 deadline. He is under contract through 2027, so Pittsburgh has every reason to hold onto him unless the season starts to veer off course and the teams playoff outlook changes in a meaningful way. [Read more 🡒]