Pittsburgh Steelers: Wide receiver battle breakdown, 2017 Edition
By Dan Salem
Number one is a lock, but the rest of the wide receiver positions are up in the air. Who will make the Pittsburgh Steelers starting lineup at receiver?
NFL training camps start very soon. After that, preseason games will begin before you know it. We are officially out of the offseason and into the preseason. With that, it is time to speculate wildly on everything from depth charts to position battles to standings to signings.
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We debated major quarterback battles in New York, Chicago, Denver, and Houston. Now we turn to the plethora of wide receivers on the Pittsburgh Steelers. There aren’t enough roster spots for all of this talent. Which players will make the team?
Two brothers from New York, Dan Salem and Todd Salem, discuss the Pittsburgh Steelers in today’s NFL Sports Debate.
Pittsburgh Steelers WR Contenders
Martavis Bryant
Eli Rogers
Sammie Coates
Darrius Heyward-Bey
JuJu Smith-Schuster
Justin Hunter
Details
Todd Salem: This is not a discussion about who the Steelers’ top wide receiver is. There is no discussion about that. Instead, it’s about the slew of guys competing for the second spot, as well as catches in general. There are a lot of men with talent and not a lot of snaps to go around.
Heck, this list of six guys competing for what will probably amount to four roster spots doesn’t even include guys like Cobi Hamilton and Demarcus Ayers, who played last year and are still around in 2017.
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Bryant was suspended for all of 2016, opening the door for Rogers and Coates to break through. Neither really did, though both had their moments. They are easily the top two receiver performers not named Antonio Brown from last season.
Despite the popularity of those two, and the return of Bryant from suspension, Pittsburgh also spent a second-round pick on Smith-Schuster in the NFL Draft. Considering the depth it has, the selection doesn’t make a ton of sense in this immediate hindsight.
Dan Salem: It’s pretty incredible how many wide receivers the Steelers currently have on their roster, with no clear idea of who will actually make the team. It’s almost as if Pittsburgh values the passing game above all else. Oh wait, the team just completely gave Le’Veon Bell the shaft in contract negotiations. He’s only the best dual-threat running back in football. Perhaps he was asking for too much money, but the writing on the wall is clear: Pittsburgh will be passing the football.
Bryant’s suspension hurts him in the eyes of the team, even if no one else stepped up to steal his roster spot. Not that a football team should care too much about off-field perception, but one has to believe the Steelers would prefer that Bryant get outplayed. There is a lot of competition, but he is easily the front runner thus far.
Selection
Todd Salem: In terms of making the roster, Bryant, Rogers, Coates, and Smith-Schuster feel like locks. They have to be. And yet, the team signed Hunter, and Heyward-Bey is an effective veteran who also contributes on special teams. I really don’t know how to handicap this battle, especially if the Steelers only plan on keeping five receivers active. Maybe Coates becomes a surprise cut after two lackluster seasons.
In terms of being the No. 2 guy after Brown, that has to be Bryant. He is the most talented of the bunch, and no one really stole the spot from him during his absence. I wouldn’t be surprised if Rogers outperformed Bryant from the slot, but it will be more because of defensive alignment and formation than simply a discussion of targets.
Next: NFL 2017: Each team's biggest question before training camp
Dan Salem: Pittsburgh’s second-round pick is a lock to make the team. This leaves three legitimate wide receiver spots left, but that’s not to say that the Steelers won’t toss a player on special teams for safe keeping. Coates and Bryant both earn spots, with Coates really stepping it up in the preseason to make himself indispensable. I believe the veteran Heyward-Bey is ultimately shown the door. There’s just not enough chairs left.