Steelers' Silence In Wide Receiver Market Hints That GM Omar Khan Is Preparing Mind-Blowing Move

It has been an incredibly eventful week for the Pittsburgh Steelers and all other 31 teams in the NFL. Big moves have been made left and right since the league's legal tampering period began. General Manager Omar Khan has had his fair share of eye-catching transactions. The organization agreed to terms with big names in Russell Wilson and Patrick Queen, while saying goodbye to one of their top play-makers in Diontae Johnson after trading him to the Carolina Panthers. The departure of Johnson leaves a gaping hole in the wide receivers' room as George Pickens is really the only established one left.

There's a huge problem developing for the Steelers in that area, however. Most of, if not all, the top free-agent wide receivers have found new homes. Calvin Ridley inked a deal with the Tennessee Titans, Gabe Davis is headed to play for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Marquise Brown most recently agreed to terms with the Kansas City Chiefs.

On top of that, Keenan Allen was reportedly traded to the Chicago Bears. That doesn't leave the Steelers with much and unless they are planning on strictly drafting wideouts in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft, more than one move in the area is necessary.

Something is brewing behind the scenes. The first, and most likely, scenario is the idea of Tyler Boyd coming back to Pittsburgh. He's from a town just south of the city known as Clairton. Boyd would be a tremendous pick-up. He's a veteran that can lead in the locker room, presumably taking the place of Allen Robinson II, who was released due to cap reasons.

The main problem with Boyd being the splash of the offseason at the wide receiver position is that the organization shouldn't be relying on him to be the second guy behind Pickens. Even if Boyd does come to the Steel City, Khan has to have some sort of plan that will complete the revamp of the room. It's hard to imagine the top three entering the 2024 season being Pickens, Boyd and Calvin Austin III.

That leaves pretty much two options. Before getting into the draft, focusing on the remaining players available is logical. The only guys available via the free agency market who have proven themselves to be consistent number two guys are Mike Williams from the Los Angeles Chargers and Odell Beckham Jr from the Baltimore Ravens. Acting fast is necessary, though. Now that Allen is gone, Williams can sign back with the Chargers if he feels like he will be the go-to guy.

As far as Beckham goes, he is 31 years old and only started six games for Baltimore in 2023, resulting in an unimpressive 565 receiving yards. Aside from those two guys, then, the crazy scenario comes in. Antonio Brown has been very active on social media during the free agency period, and quite frankly, has gotten some things right.

Let's not buy into the fact that this is going to happen. Pittsburgh would have to give up significant draft capital and pay Justin Jefferson well over $100 million in a new contract. The rumor is quite crazy, but what's the alternative at this point? The Steelers literally don't have a wide receiver room. Austin didn't prove himself in his second year. The team is beginning the new league year without any sort of weapons in the passing game.

Steelers Could Be Gearing Up For Ginormous Draft-Day Trade

One idea that hasn't been talked about as much is what could occur at the end of April. Pittsburgh could make a slightly significant move with a signing of Boyd, and then go on to shock the NFL with a trade into the top 10 of the first round. Mel Kiper Jr's latest mock draft has three wideouts going within the first nine selections. A mind-blowing move from Khan may not be for a guy who is currently in the NFL. He could be cooking up a huge leap up the board on draft day.

Why do you think Pittsburgh has been so stagnant when it comes to the wide receiver position? Let us know in the comments below!

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