Calvin Austin’s and Roman Wilson’s actions need to speak as loudly as Omar Khan's words

After the first day of organized team activities at the Pittsburgh Steelers’ practice facility, quarterback Mason Rudolph was asked about “the noise” surrounding the prospect of Aaron Rodgers joining the team.

“That’s nothing new to me. There’s been constant noise,” Rudolph replied. “That’s the nature of the NFL. I’ve been used to that for a long time.”

Part of what made things loud during Rudolph’s time in Pittsburgh was the racket coming from the wide receiver room. The antics on and off the field from Antonio Brown in 2018, through Chase Claypool, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Diontae Johnson and George Pickens have created quite a cacophony.

Now, after Pickens was traded to Dallas on May 7, all of those guys are gone. However, one constant refrain is still trumpeting through Western Pa. as loudly as it was last year when Rudolph was in Tennessee, and Johnson was dealt to Carolina: “Who is going to be the No. 2 wide receiver?!”

New acquisition DK Metcalf will be the primary target for Rudolph, Rodgers or whoever is under center. After that, though, many of the same names are on the Steelers’ roster from 2024.

In particular, that means second-year wide receiver Roman Wilson and fourth-year pass catcher Calvin Austin, along with special teams standout Ben Skowronek and veteran Scotty Miller.

That’s a group general manager Omar Khan insists makes the Steelers “comfortable.”

“We wouldn’t have done (the Pickens trade) if we didn’t feel good about the receiver situation — about our depth here,” Khan insisted earlier this month.

“There are always good players out there. If we wanted to add some people, we could. But we feel comfortable with them.”

Khan and Mike Tomlin had similar things to say throughout last offseason. But actions speak louder than words.

Those actions included trying to sign Mike Williams in free agency before he went to the New York Jets, trying to trade for Brandon Aiyuk, reportedly pursuing Christian Kirk prior to a mid-season collarbone injury, and eventually trading for Williams before the deadline anyway.

Not to mention, there were various levels of alleged interest in numerous other receivers, such as Darius Slayton and Courtland Sutton.

More sports

• 'Aaron Rodgers Watch' looms over team as Steelers open OTAs
• U.S. Open hole by hole: Players will club up for No. 8 at Oakmont, 1 of the longest par 3s in world
• QB Mason Rudolph on return to Steelers as potential starter: 'It's good to feel wanted'

Even though Williams and Van Jefferson are gone from last year’s unit, Khan has insisted that this year’s group — which also now features 33-year-old Robert Woods (on his fifth team) — is better.

“People make the comparison about last year. It’s not even close to being the same,” Khan said.

“We have a good group. There are some guys that are back. We’ve seen their growth, and (they) have another year under our belt with them and feel good about it.”

Wilson will test that proclamation. After his training camp ankle injury last year, the rookie was healthy enough to play late in the season. But he did so for just one game during Week 6 against the Las Vegas Raiders and wasn’t targeted on any of his five snaps.

Let’s see if the Steelers trust him enough to prove that he was worthy of being the 84th pick in the 2024 draft.

“I don’t want to think too much about last year, but I definitely learned a lot, and it definitely helped to shape who I am this upcoming season,” Wilson said Tuesday. “I just feel I’ve taken care of my body to an elite level. I’ve been more locked in. I feel like myself, and I’m ready to come out here and practice hard.”

The same can be said for Austin. Among Steelers wide receivers last year, he placed second behind Pickens in most statistical categories.

One would think that — heading into the final year of his entry-level deal — Austin would be a legitimate candidate for a contract extension, especially since the 26-year-old would likely be a bargain. His modest 36 catches, 546 yards and four touchdowns were all career highs in 2024.

For the second year in a row, Khan is speaking publicly as if he’d be willing to go into a season with Austin as his WR2. Theoretically, then, why not buy low now?

But on Tuesday, Austin said he had “no clue” if there was any movement toward an extension.

“Since I was walking on at Memphis, my mindset going into any off-season has been working. No complacency. I’m always chasing the goal of being the best form of me that I can be. So I haven’t even thought about that. I feel like after last year, personally, I had improved, but there was so much more out there.”

The truth is Khan and Tomlin know they need a depth chart where Austin is no higher than No. 3. Furthermore, they certainly don’t want to be in a position where, if Metcalf gets hurt for an extended stretch as Pickens did in ‘24, they have to rely on Austin as a No. 1.

So expect the Steelers to speak with actions again, even if they do work out a modest bridge contract with Austin. Khan should still be very active in looking to sign or trade for another starting-worthy target on the outside.

Otherwise, the “Who is going to be the No. 2 wide receiver?!” chatter is going to continue to be noise for everyone on that offense.

And I don’t know if they make earplugs big enough to drown it out.