One of the most contested position battles on the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason is at wide receiver. Pittsburgh might have lost Antonio Brown but there’s plenty of depth on this group. With just two preseason games left, time is running out to figure out which receivers will step up and which guys will fall flat when the final 53-man roster comes out.
Starters
JuJu Smith-Schuster
James Washington
At this point, it’s hard to imagine the final depth chart not being Smith-Schuster starting on one side and Washington on the other. We’ve seen tremendous growth from Washington during training camp and he appears to be past the rookie wall. His ability to work deep and use his strength to win those 50-50 balls is going to be vital for a team that wants to throw deep.
Third/Slot receiver
Diontae Johnson
Johnson’s rookie debut last week showed exactly why the Steelers spent a third-round pick on him. His ability to use elite quickness off the line allows him to get deep and pull the top off a secondary. Look for him and Smith-Schuster to be largely interchangeable in the slot depending on the matchups.
How the rest shakes out
Ryan Switzer
Donte Moncrief
Diontae Spencer
Eli Rogers
Tevin Jones
Johnny Holton
This is where things get complicated. The Steelers are likely to carry six receivers, which means three of these guys will make the cut and three will not. Switzer feels like a lock based on experience and ability to impact the return game. And with the money paid to Moncrief in free agency, he’s going to make the team despite his lack of work in the preseason.
This leaves Spencer, Rogers, Jones, and Holton fighting for one spot. Based on what we’ve seen this training camp and preseason, Spencer has the edge. Jones and Holton are legitimate longshots to make the team but what about Rogers? He was supposed to be a key component of this new-look offense but he’s been invisible.
