The Steelers Need To Sign One Of These Players
Based on the Steelers’ preseason games this season, it is apparent that this offense is lacking weaponry. George Pickens can’t down it all himself and it is still unknown what is happening with Brandon Aiyuk, so it is time for the Steelers to look elsewhere. There are still a couple of good free agents.
5. Corey Davis
The fifth overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, Corey Davis would be familiar with how Arthur Smith does things from their time together with the Titans. Davis had his best season with Smith in 2020 when he caught 65 passes for 984 yards and five touchdowns. He averaged 15.1 yards per reception and 70.3 yards per game that season.
Davis finished fourth in the NFL in yards per reception in 2022 with 16.8 yards per reception. He is now 29 years old and retired from the NFL in August of 2023 but he worked out for the Bills this offseason.
4. Marquise Goodwin
He might be 33 years old, but if Marquise Goodwin has any gas left in the tank, the Steelers could use it. He ran a 4.27 40-yard dash at the 2013 combine and while that number likely doesn't hold up today, he’s still fast.
In 2017 for the 49ers, Goodwin caught 56 passes for 962 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 17.2 yards per catch and 60.1 yards per game. Last season he rotted in Cleveland, catching just four passes for 67 yards.
3. Juju Smith-Schuster
If the Steelers are in the mood for a reunion, Juju Smith-Schuster is their guy. He was recently cut from the Patriots, making him a free agent. There are questions about the health of his knee, but for a low cost, it could be worth the chance.
Smith-Schuster spent five seasons as a Steeler, catching 323 passes for 3,855 yards and 26 touchdowns. It was easily the best football of his career. Teams can’t expect him to be a workhorse at this point in his career, but he could be a good guy to have in the room.
2. Hunter Renfrow
Somehow Hunter Renfrow still doesn’t have a team. The former fifth-round pick in 2017 spent five seasons with the Raiders and had his best season in 2021. He made the Pro Bowl that season, catching 103 passes for 1,038 yards and nine touchdowns. Renfrow finished ninth in the NFL in receptions and receiving touchdowns that season. He’s not much of a big play guy, but a great guy to have in the slot for almost any team.
1. Michael Thomas
The best option on this list, Michael Thomas is still looking for a home. Pittsburgh could be a great spot for the guy known as Slant Man. The Steelers could’ve drafted him in the 2016 NFL Draft but opted to take Artie Burns at 25, yuck.
Thomas has spent the last couple of seasons banged up with injuries, but if his body will allow him, he’s a great receiver. He won the NFL Offensive Player of the Year award in 2019 along with being a First Team All-Pro in 2018 and 2019. In those two seasons, he led the NFL in receptions and is currently 19th among active players in receptions. Thomas might be labeled as a diva, but the Steelers can handle that.
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