Steelers Have Forgotten Draft Target Primed To Turn Around Offense

The Pittsburgh Steelers are entering a pivotal 2026 offseason. Significant changes have already occurred as the organization welcomes in nearly an entirely new coaching staff, led by new head coach, Mike McCarthy. McCarthy brings in a strong offensive mind, which is a nice change of pace as the Steelers have not had an offensive guru head coach in over 50 years. The NFL is seemingly moving in the direction of the offense, despite the fact that the Seattle Seahawks just won Super Bowl LX behind their stout defensive unit.

McCarthy is going to have a tall task ahead of him when it comes to fixing Pittsburgh's offense. The quarterback position is up in the air, and the organization needs to put in some serious work to add more weapons in the passing game. DK Metcalf is good, but he has the potential to be great if the franchise can surround him with some more talent to take some of the defensive attention off of him. Insider Ray Fittipaldo joined 93.7 The Fan on Wednesday, and he spoke about Louisville wide receiver Chris Bell as an option for the Steelers in the mid-to-late rounds of the 2026 NFL Draft.

"Chris Bell is a guy who tore his ACL late in the season," Fittipaldo said. "But he had like 10 catches for like 135 against Pitt, that was his first of three consecutive 100-yard games before he got injured. Like, the trick is, where do you take a guy who has an injury like that? You know they found Payton Wilson in the third round because of an injury history, so maybe they can get a guy like Chris Bell. I don't know, maybe second, early third. But I would double down."

This topic arose because Fittipaldo was asked about what Pittsburgh's biggest need is entering the 2026 NFL Draft, and he said wide receiver without hesitation. Hopefully the Steelers can land one of the top wide receivers with the 21st overall pick, but he wants to see the organization double down with a guy like Bell later in the event.

Bell was coming on as one of the better wide receivers in the country before tearing his ACL during a game against SMU on November 22nd. He had a three-game stretch during the 2025 season where he recorded 31 receptions for 441 yards and five touchdowns, and each of those games was against a conference opponent. He was flying up draft boards before his injury, and now Pittsburgh might be able to take a risk on him, similar to the way the franchise did with Payton Wilson.

There would obviously be some risk with drafting Bell coming off of a torn ACL. He suffered the injury in late-November, so he will probably miss most of the pre-draft events, but he should be around for the start of the 2026 season. He is an intriguing prospect to keep an eye as the Steelers are desperate for help at wide receiver.

Steelers Must Double Dip At Wide Receiver

Pittsburgh has done a good job of building up draft capital for the 2026 NFL Draft, and now it is time to use it. The organization should be able to land a desirable name at wide receiver with the 21st overall pick, someone like Denzel Boston is near the top of that list considering some of the top prospects will already be off of the board. Pittsburgh also has its own second-round pick as well as two third-round picks, with a third potentially coming due to the NFL's compensatory pick formula. 

The Steelers likely need to double dip at wide receiver, and doing so with one of the franchise's third-round selections would make the most sense. Pittsburgh holds the 76th and 85th overall picks, and a wide receiver should be selected in that area, with Bell being a possibility.

Would you want to see Bell in the black and gold? Let us know in the comments below!

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