Mark Madden: If the Steelers really are all in, go get a legit No. 2 receiver

The Pittsburgh Steelers are supposed to be all in.

But the Steelers aren’t. They might think they are. They aren’t.

You’re not all in when Calvin Austin III is your No. 2 wideout.

You’re not all in when Jaylen Warren is your starter at running back.

You’re not all in when Austin and Warren both secured their position on the depth chart by merely waiting their turn.

You’re not all in when you have a chance to fix it but don’t.

The fix at running back might be in-house. Rookie Kaleb Johnson is 6-foot-1, 224 pounds and fits the power motif of coordinator Arthur Smith’s offense.

Johnson didn’t have a great preseason. He needs to work on receiving and pass protection. But when it comes to running the ball, Johnson is a better bet to provide what’s needed.

At wide receiver, the Steelers are linked with everybody in the NFL who comes available.

The current fantasy is Jakobi Meyers, who wants out of Las Vegas.

Meyers, 28, is a legit No. 2 receiver who could step up to the No. 1 role occasionally if injury to DK Metcalf demanded. He had 87 receptions for 1,027 yards last season, both career highs.

If you’re all in, you get Meyers.

But the Steelers aren’t serious people.

The Steelers were linked with Marquez Valdes-Scantling, a 30-year-old ham-and-egger who got cut by Seattle and signed by San Francisco.

There was also talk about Malachi Corley, 23. He was the New York Jets’ third-round pick last year but got waived on Tuesday, then picked up by Cleveland.

Valdes-Scantling and Corley are both former teammates of Aaron Rodgers.

It’s OK that the Steelers didn’t get either. They already have too many No. 3 receivers.

The Steelers do business in weird, contradictory fashion.

If the Steelers think they can win now, get Meyers. A second-round pick might be overpaying, but do it. Meyers is owed $10.5 million this season, no small sum for a No. 2 receiver. But you’re all in, correct?

In 2019, Ben Roethlisberger popped his elbow in the season’s second game. The Steelers were 0-2. Their legit hopes were dead. It was time to finish 5-11 and draft a quarterback to succeed Roethlisberger. Maybe Justin Herbert.

Instead, they traded their first-round pick in 2020 to Miami for safety Minkah Fitzpatrick and scratched out a desperate 8-8. Fitzpatrick was traded back to Miami this past offseason after winning zero playoff games with the Steelers.

They made the big deal then and preserved Mike Tomlin’s streak of no losing seasons.

But won’t get Meyers now despite being all in.

Because the Steelers aren’t really all in.

They’re mostly old. A lot of key contributors are old, anyway.

The Steelers have to pretend they’re all in, for the sake of their elderly.

But action speaks louder than empty platitudes.

Or non-action, as the case may be.