The Pittsburgh Steelers acquired WR DK Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks in the offseason. They also traded WR George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys.
This leaves Metcalf as the obvious WR1.
Pittsburgh is in the same position with its WR room as last year. One bona fide wideout with a bunch of others fighting to be the WR2 and WR3.
Some names fighting to have a big role at WR are Calvin Austin III, Roman Wilson, Robert Woods, Scotty Miller, and Ben Skowronek.
One of them will need to emerge as the WR2 opposite Metcalf but the Steelers also need to figure out who will be the main slot wideout.
Below, we’ll break down the training camp battle at the wide receiver position and which players are most likely to emerge in each role.
Calvin Austin Likely To Emerge As WR2
All reports suggest that Calvin Austin will emerge as the WR2 for the Steelers.
This is Austin’s third year in the league. Austin has played in 17 games in each of his first two seasons. Here are his stats in the first two seasons with the Steelers:
- 2023: 17 receptions, 30 targets, 180 receiving yards, and one receiving TD
- 2024: 36 receptions, 58 targets, 548 receiving yards, and four receiving TDs
Austin saw a nice improvement from his rookie year to his sophomore season. However, the Steelers will need him to take another giant leap in his third year.
Austin is likely to be the WR2 on two-wideout sets for the Steelers in 2025.
Roman Wilson Seems Best Fit To Be The Slot WR
With Metcalf being the WR1 and Austin emerging as the WR2, the Steelers will also need to figure out who will be the slot wideout.
Robert Woods and Roman Wilson both fit the bill, but the Steelers hope Wilson can claim the spot in camp.
Woods is 33 years old, while Wilson is only 24.
Wilson played just one game in his rookie year last season. He missed week 1 due to an ankle injury and weeks 7-18 with a hamstring injury. Wilson was a healthy scratch four times and played just five snaps in his only appearance last season.
The Steelers hope he emerges as the slot WR. He is best built to be a slot wideout. Wilson is a smaller wide receiver and struggles against press-man coverage.
This is a big year for Wilson to prove he can contribute to the Steelers.
Wilson may not get the full-time role as the slot WR at the beginning of the season, possibly splitting the role with Robert Woods early on, but the Steelers will need Wilson to outplay Woods and prove to be a full-time slot wideout.
Metcalf and Austin will be the starting wide receivers, and Wilson will emerge as the slot wideout.
This leaves the Steelers with a trio of Metcalf, Austin, and Wilson as their starting wide receivers.
