Death taxes, and wide receiver trade rumors remain the biggest constants in the life of the average Pittsburgh Steelers fan in 2024.
Kristopher Knox from Bleacher Report has linked the Steelers to a few wide receivers this season, and that trend continues.
In his most recent NFL trade block, Knox named the Steelers as a possible destination for Tennessee Titans veteran wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
“The Steelers, who aren’t getting quite enough from their passing attack, could be interested,” Knox wrote on October 9. “Pittsburgh is 3-2 on the season but is still averaging just 178 passing yards per game.”
Hopkins has been named to either the first or second-team All-Pro five times over his 12-year career. In 2015, he earned second-team All-Pro honors after recording his first 100-catch season.
From 2017-2019, Hopkins made first-team All-Pro three consecutive seasons. During that stretch, he averaged 105 receptions, 1,371.67 receiving yards, and about 10 touchdowns per year.
In 2020, he once again made second-team All-Pro.
Why the Steelers Could Be Interested in DeAndre
As Knox highlighted, Pittsburgh’s passing game has struggled early this season. Heading into Week 6, the Steelers rank among the bottom six teams in passing yards per game.
Part of the issue could be the absence of quarterback Russell Wilson. In his place, Justin Fields has started under center. While Fields has reduced many of the mistakes that plagued his first three NFL seasons, he’s averaging a career-low 10.4 yards per completion.
However, Pittsburgh’s receivers share some of the blame for the lackluster passing numbers.
Only four Steelers have surpassed 100 receiving yards through five games, and two of those players are tight end Pat Freiermuth and running back Najee Harris.
George Pickens is the only Steelers wideout with more than eight receptions, and besides him, no Pittsburgh receiver is averaging more than 1.6 catches per game.
Pickens is also the only pass catcher with at least 200 receiving yards through five games.
In today’s NFL, that level of production is poor. But it’s not surprising given that veterans like Van Jefferson and Scott Miller began the season as the Steelers’ No. 2
