As the Pittsburgh Steelers begin their offseason program, most pundits believe the team is still minus a No. 2 wide receiver. The Steelers have signed several veterans but none of them inspire confidence they can replace the production of a player like Diontae Johnson.
But maybe they don’t have to. We started pouring over the offense that new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith wants to run. No, not the effort from when he was head coach with the Atlanta Falcons. We’re going to pretend like that didn’t happen.
We mean the two seasons where Smith was the OC for the Tennessee Titans. Specifically, 2020 when the Titans had one of the most potent and balanced offenses in the league.
Here’s how the passing offense broke down in 2020:
WR A.J. Brown – 70 receptions, 1,075 yards
WR Corey Davis – 65 receptions, 984 yards
TE Jonnu Smith – 41 receptions, 448 yards
FB Anthony Firsker – 39 receptions, 387 yards
WR Adam Humphries – 23 receptions, 228 yards
RB Derrick Henry – 19 receptions, 114 yards
RB Jeremy McNichols – 12 receptions, 55 yards
WR Cameron Batson – 12 receptions, 100 yards
This is every player who caught at least 10 passes that season. The Steelers might not have a Corey Davis on the roster physically but if we remove A.J. Brown from the equation, with George Pickens in that role, there’s no reason to believe the rest of the Steelers skill players cannot pick up the slack.
In particular, the production by Smith at tight end is paltry in comparison to what Freiermuth is capable of. and 70 receptions by backs is light work for Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren.
So who gets the rest if we assume those three can pick up some of the slack on those 65 catches? Rookie Roman Wilson has a perfect opportunity along with veteran Van Jefferson to be highly productive with the amount of attention the run game is going to get. Landing another wide receiver might not be a priority after all.
