Steelers Fans Should Start To Worry About The Wide Receiver Room, Not Russell Wilson

The Pittsburgh Steelers' performance against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday was far from ideal. The Steelers' offense saw both new quarterbacks play the entire game, with Russell Wilson starting and Justin Fields taking over late in the second half. Wilson’s performance echoed his struggles during his time with the Denver Broncos, hampered by poor offensive line play.

Fields showed flashes of excitement but failed to lead any touchdown drives, as did Wilson. The Steelers ultimately lost 9-3 to the Bills' JV team, raising concerns among fans, though it’s still only preseason. There’s time to address some of these issues.

One major area of concern is the wide receiver room, a situation exacerbated by the offseason trade of Diontae Johnson. The wide receiver woes were on full display Saturday, according to Steelers insider Mark Kaboly. Speaking on The Fan Morning Show, Kaboly shared his insights from the game, suggesting that fans should worry less about Wilson and start sounding the alarm about the wide receivers.

"That’s what I think you have to worry about more," Kaboly said. "What I took out of this game, not Russell Wilson more than the supporting cast. I mean the offensive line obviously struggled, but I don’t know how much these wide receivers got open."

Kaboly has been vocal this offseason about the Steelers’ need for a true WR2. The team has been entangled in numerous rumors, including a reportedly close call with the San Francisco 49ers for Brandon Aiyuk. However, as the season nears, the chances of Aiyuk ending up in Pittsburgh seem slim.

With limited options remaining, the Steelers face a challenge in finding a reliable second wide receiver. Kaboly is concerned that George Pickens, the team’s star wideout, will be too easily guarded without someone else stepping up in the receiver room. According to Kaboly, this was the biggest takeaway from Saturday’s embarrassing performance against the Bills.

"Nothing. I think it was very evident there that you got a bunch of threes and fours, but you don’t have that number two guy. Once you get in the regular season, it’s going to get worse because they are going to totally take out George Pickens."

The Steelers did attempt to bolster their wide receiver room after trading away Johnson. They brought in several speedy players like Van Jefferson, Scotty Miller, and Quez Watkins. 

While Jefferson has earned praise for his work ethic this offseason and has a good chance to make an impact, not every Steelers fan is convinced. Miller has had a solid preseason, but Kaboly isn’t sold on his ability to consistently get open.

Steelers' Justin Fields And TJ Luther Not On Same Page

Kaboly’s main concern is that the wide receivers haven’t made life easy for the quarterbacks during the preseason. A lot of attention has been on a deep ball Fields threw to TJ Luther, where Luther jumped early. 

The debate is whether it was a perfectly thrown pass or a missed connection. The consensus leans toward it being a great throw by Fields, with Luther mistiming his jump. Had this pass been completed, the narrative about Fields play would have been a lot different. Fields did a good job and was exciting. He failed to execute on the important red zone plays.

The Steelers’ new offensive coordinator, Arthur Smith, plans to involve the tight ends more, but it’s still the preseason, so he hasn’t shown his full hand. Pickens and Pat Freiermuth haven’t played much yet, and the offense will look different when they’re more involved. Even so, Kaboly believes the Steelers are in serious trouble at wide receiver and thinks it’s time for Steeler Nation to sound the alarm.

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