The thrilling first wave of NFL free agency came in and left like the wind, and it was an unprecedented one for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The critical component the Steelers are still missing offensively — aside from a starting-caliber center — is at wide receiver. If general manager Omar Khan had a plan when they jettisoned Diontae Johnson, it hasn’t yet come to fruition. Even combined, Quez Watkins and Van Jefferson are not of Johnson’s talent level.
At one point early in free agency, the Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals receiver Tyler Boyd expressed mutual interest. But according to Mark Kaboly of The Athletic, that ship has sailed. It appears it could be because of a low-ball offer.
“I would say that it would be a long shot, at best, that the two sides come together,” Kaboly wrote in a recent Steelers mailbag. “From what I have been told, Boyd was extremely interested in Pittsburgh at the beginning of the free-agency process, but the offer wasn’t something he was comfortable with. Boyd has at least had preliminary interest from the Chiefs, Chargers, Dolphins, Lions and 49ers. I am pretty sure the ship with the Steelers has sailed.”
Anything can still happen, but Boyd has plenty of potential suitors, decreasing the liklihood he’s wearing the black and gold in 2024.
