PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers missed out on Stefon Diggs, watching the former Buffalo Bill head to the Houston Texans in exchange for a second-round pick. But with one door closing, another (or two) may have opened.
The Texans’ wide receiver room now consists of Diggs, Tank Dell, Nico Collings, Robert Woods, Noah Brown and John Metchie. Typically, teams keep five wideouts on their active roster, meaning one of the six names will be on the move. While cutting one could be an option, Houston will likely get trade calls for those at the bottom of the list, and one of those calls could come from Pittsburgh.
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The Steelers were reportedly in the mix for a wide receiver trade several weeks ago, sparking rumors of Brandon Aiyuk being an option. Ultimately, they didn’t find one, most likely due to the rising price of veteran wideouts in terms of contract extensions. But Metchie, Woods and Brown are not expensive options.
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Metchie, a second-round pick in 2022, started his NFL career last season with just 158 yards. In a crowded wide receiver room, he didn’t much action, but that doesn’t mean the potential isn’t there for a player many believed would develop nicely coming into the league.
As for Brown, he’s just 28-years-old and coming off back-to-back 500-yard seasons. Entering his second year in Houston, he could be ready to be a WR3 in this league, which won’t come with the Texans due to Woods. So, maybe he’s an option for Pittsburgh.
And if the Steelers wanted to really grab a reliable name – maybe someone who holds Tyler Boyd-like potential – they could make a call about Woods. The 31-year-old veteran had 426 yards and a touchdown in 14 games last season. In 11 NFL seasons, that was his lowest yards total, showing how reliable he’s been as a pass-catcher.
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The Steelers are most-likely looking for a No. 2, but maybe they’ll consider another option to compete for a roster spot with Calvin Austin, Quez Watkins and Van Jefferson. Any of the three names mentioned prior make sense, and if Pittsburgh was truly in on a wideout trade before, the door may have opened a little bit wider for a realistic move.
