Free agency primer: Despite abundance of WRs, Steelers could be in market for veteran help

When the Pittsburgh Steelers lost three of their top five wide receivers in free agency last year, they fortified the position with an all-too-familiar strategy.

They emphasized it in the NFL Draft.

By taking George Pickens in the second round and Calvin Austin in the fourth, the Steelers offset the departures of JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Washington and Ray-Ray McCloud. It marked the eighth time in the past 10 years that the Steelers used a fourth-round pick — or higher — on a wide receiver.

The draft, though, isn’t the only means by which the Steelers have provided depth at the position. Consider that last year they signed Gunner Olszewski, who was more of a return specialist than pass catcher in New England, to a two-year contract in March and then claimed Miles Boykin off waivers from the Baltimore Ravens in April.

The Steelers felt so comfortable with the pieces they had accumulated at wide receiver — largely thanks to Pickens’ rapid development — that they traded Chase Claypool to the Chicago Bears at midseason.

“We wouldn’t have traded Chase if we didn’t feel good about that room,” general manager Omar Khan said last week at the NFL Combine.

“We felt really good about the guys that were in that room. If we didn’t, we wouldn’t have made that trade.”

Still, the Steelers could use a dependable third receiver to complement Diontae Johnson and Pickens. Austin could be in the running, but he must prove himself healthy first after missing all of his rookie season because of foot injuries.

While Johnson and Pickens topped 800 receiving yards each last year, Claypool remained the third-most productive receiver on the roster despite spending the second half of the season in Chicago. Nobody could match his 32 catches and 311 yards, with Steven Sims coming the closest at 14 receptions and 104 yards.

Sims will become a restricted free agent next week when the new NFL calendar year begins, and the Steelers must decide whether to tender an offer or perhaps re-sign him before the March 15 filing deadline.

The only free agent the Steelers stand to lose is Boykin, whose value last year was provided on special teams rather than his two receptions and 11 yards. Boykin was a regular on the kickoff teams and punt coverage unit and graded among the highest Steelers special-teams players, according to Pro Football Focus.

“I love it here,” Boykin said late last season. “Obviously, we’re playing in a gritty city, and I feel like I am a gritty player.”

Unless Olszewski is a cap casualty — the Steelers would save his $2 million salary with his release — the organization will enter free agency with nine receivers under contract. That includes a handful of players who signed reserve/futures contracts in January, including Anthony Miller, who spent the entire season on injured reserve but provides 50 games of career NFL experience.

“Any opportunity we have to improve a specific room, we’ll do that,” Khan said.

It wouldn’t be surprising for the Steelers to bring in a veteran in free agency to compete for a roster spot. Coach Mike Tomlin likes revisiting players he once interviewed in the draft process as was the case with Boykin in 2018 when he was coming out of Notre Dame.

A name from this free agent class to watch in that vein is Richie James, who visited with Tomlin in 2018 when he was fresh out of Middle Tennessee State. After missing the 2021 season with injuries, James had a career year with the New York Giants in 2022, catching 57 passes for 569 yards and four touchdowns while playing on a $1.065 million contract.

At 5-foot-9, 185 pounds, he is suited to play in the slot although he did have issues with fumbles last year.

A positional look at the Steelers wide receiver situation heading into free agency:

Under contract: Diontae Johnson ($16.33 million cap hit in 2023), Gunner Olszewski ($2.6175 million), George Pickens ($1.534 million), Anthony Miller ($940,000), Ja’Marcus Bradley ($940,000), Dan Chisena ($940,000), Calvin Austin ($876,000), Dez Fitzpatrick ($870,000), Cody White ($870,000)

Restricted free agent: Steven Sims ($895,000 salary in 2022)

Unrestricted free agent: Miles Boykin ($2.54 million salary in 2022)