Insider: Steelers Were Never Seriously Interested In Tyler Boyd: "Wasn't An Option For The Past Couple Of Months"

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been linked to nearly every "available" wide receiver in the NFL this offseason since they chose to trade Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers. The fact that they haven't truly replaced him while entertaining a host of slot receivers has many fans worried about the state of their passing game. 

That's why when the story broke from Steelers media, like Mark Kaboly of The Athletic, that the team was looking to bring Tyler Boyd "home," it created a big stir. Boyd, a Pittsburgh native, was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2016. Boyd and the Steelers have become very familiar with one another over the past eight seasons.

But now, Kaboly is apparently retracting his earlier statement after the news broke that the Tennessee Titans signed Boyd. Kaboly joined Joe Starkey on 93.7 The Fan on Wednesday. Starkey mentioned that his co-worker Andrew Fillipponi said that the Steelers were never really interested in Boyd because they don't see him as an outside receiver or a true number two. Starkey was wondering if Kaboly could confirm that story. 

"Tyler Boyd wasn't an option for the past couple of months," said Kaboly. "To be honest with you, they weren't interested in him. They had initial interest to see where it was, they didn't want to pay him, Tyler wanted more than one year and obviously didn't get more than one year in Tennessee, but at least had some familiarity with [Brian] Callahan over there."

Brian Callahan, the new head coach of the Titans, was formerly the Bengals offensive coordinator. Having that assurance of a known coach had to be a huge boost for Boyd; it gave him the confidence to accept the one-year, $4.5 million deal he took, instead of the multi-year deal he hoped for. 

Meanwhile, the Steelers have George Pickens sitting in the top spot on their roster, and a large pool of receivers who seem unlikely to fill Johnson's shoes behind him. While Kaboly said he knew the team wouldn't sign Boyd, he feels they must do something. They can't go into the season with just the group they have currently. 

"Obviously, they don't have interest in him after the draft. That's obvious because of Roman Wilson, but they never really were all in on him. They checked in on him, they tried to get him to sign for lesser money. But, hey, they didn't view him as a high priority right now. That might come back to bite them. We will have to see how this plays out. It looks really dire right now, doesn't it, Joe? When you're looking at these six potential number two receivers, nobody's really making you feel all bubbly inside right now."

Currently, the Steelers receivers room is pretty full with the additions this offseason of players such as Van Jefferson, Quez Watkins, and Scotty Miller. They join recently drafted Roman Wilson, who was selected in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Despite having so many players along with speedster Calvin Austin III, Kaboly is right; no receiver seems capable just yet of effectively replacing Johnson. 

Kaboly said he worries that something will happen to Pickens, and we will see his "grumpiness" emerge. That bad feeling will spread throughout the offense, undermining the season. Kaboly said it is critical to find another receiver, whether it's now or in August. 

Steelers' Surprise Addition Of Scotty Miller

The Steelers surprised fans by adding Miller to the roster this week. Miller most recently played for Arthur Smith with the Atlanta Falcons. He joins Cordarrelle Patterson on the roster of players with a Smith connection. 

Before going to the Falcons in 2023, Miller was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he helped them win Super Bowl LV. While Miller wasn't a major contributor to that championship win, he did help the team get there. He had a 39-yard touchdown in the NFC Championship against the Green Bay Packers to help Tampa advance.  

Did you expect the Steelers to sign Boyd? Click to comment below. 

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