After the Steelers’ Week 4 road loss to the Browns, the spotlight landed on a lot of different places. One of the loudest complaints came from the wide receiver room, which had a hard time shaking loose against Cleveland’s man coverage. That naturally leads to the next question: should Pittsburgh go shopping for help?
There are names out there, and the Steelers have extra draft capital after the Broderick Jones and Joey Porter Jr. trades. One of the more intriguing possibilities is Arizona Cardinals wideout Marvin Harrison Jr. His name has surfaced in trade talk because of a slow start in 2026, but the issues go back further than this season.
Harrison, the former fourth-overall pick in 2024, has not come close to the standard that followed him out of Ohio State. Through 32 career games, he has 1,566 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns.
Those are perfectly fine numbers for a mid-round receiver. They are not the numbers anyone expected from one of the most hyped pass-catching prospects in recent memory.
Still, the fit is the bigger issue than the talent. Harrison may yet revive his career somewhere else, but Pittsburgh does not look like the place to bet on that turnaround.
The Cardinals have spent his first two NFL seasons trying to turn him into a true "X" receiver, asking him to win downfield on go balls and fight through contested catches. That’s not really the player he was coming out of college. At Ohio State, Harrison was more of a route runner, someone who separated well and found pockets in zone.
The numbers reflect that. In his first two seasons, he averaged 15.7 yards per reception against zone coverage and 12 yards per catch against man, according to Sumer Sports. He has also added bulk since entering the league, and that appears to have cost him some quickness.
If he were used more as a "Z" receiver, with cleaner releases off the line, and if he trimmed down and leaned into being more fluid, there’s still a path to him becoming a solid No. 2 with more upside. But that’s not the kind of player the Steelers need right now.
Pittsburgh’s passing game has held up reasonably well against zone. The real problem has been man coverage.
Opponents have played man more than 50% of the time against the Steelers, daring their receivers to separate and forcing them to prove they can beat it. So far, they haven’t.
Harrison wouldn’t solve that. For the right price, plenty of teams should at least kick the tires on the former Buckeye. The Steelers should stay out of it.
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Joey Porter Jr. had become one of the more intriguing young pieces on Pittsburghs defense, but contract talks never moved far enough to keep him in black and gold. The Steelers put a long-term extension on the table that averaged $28 million per year, yet the structure stopped short of guaranteeing money beyond the first year, a familiar line for a team that has long guarded itself against heavy long-term risk.
That approach eventually pushed Porter into a holdout and then out the door entirely, with Pittsburgh sending him to Dallas for a second-round pick and a conditional sixth-rounder. The Cowboys are expecting him to help once he gets past a back injury, while the Steelers are left to wonder whether staying loyal to one organizational rule cost them a young starter with real value. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Suddenly Have A Defensive Problem They May Need To Solve Fast
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For a defense built on keeping pressure on opponents and surviving long stretches of the season, the timing is less than ideal. The staff is already weighing ways to cover Deans absence, with internal options and outside additions both on the table, and the next few days could shape how quickly the Steelers stabilize a unit that suddenly looks thinner than expected. [Read more 🡒]
Steelers Tackle Panic May Be Missing The Bigger Long Term Story
The Steelers front has become an early talking point because the pass protection has been under real stress, with 13 sacks allowed through four games and a pressure rate that has left little room for comfort. Still, the line picture is not as simple as a weekly panic over the tackles, because Troy Fautanu has settled in at left tackle and shown steady improvement, giving Pittsburgh at least one spot where the trend line is moving the right way.
Max Iheanachors rookie season has been more uneven, but the first-round pick remains part of the long-term answer at right tackle even with some growing pains along the way. For a team trying to stabilize its offense, the bigger question may be whether the Steelers are looking at a temporary protection problem or a young tackle group that could matter more in the months ahead than it has in the early going. [Read more 🡒]