Category: Football

The new Steelers tight end did not shy away from telling everyone what led to him landing in Pittsburgh.

In what is supposed to be a quiet period for the NFL in the weeks leading up to training camp, the Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves as the talk of the league for a multitude of reasons. Pittsburgh has easily been the most active team in the last month, and this week has been no exception, as they acquired Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith and cornerback Jalen Ramsey in exchange for Minkah Fitzpatrick, with the teams also swapping late-round picks in the 2027 NFL Draft.

Smith has been tied to the Steelers for the simple reason of the connection with Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. The two have spent several seasons together in the NFL during their respective time with the Tennessee Titans and Atlanta Falcons. While the relationship has been the punchline of many jokes for fans to draw easy connections as to why the Steelers made a move for Smith, there is a deep level of respect between the pair.

Smith has been quick to share his thoughts on being traded to Pittsburgh, as Smith joined former Dolphins teammate and longtime NFL left tackle Terron Armstead on his YouTube channel to give his reaction to his new team.

“I’m playing for one of the most historic sports franchises…” Smith said. “[I’m] back with my guy, Arthur Smith, who I’ve had a lot of success with in my career. I couldn’t be more excited.”

There was no doubt in watching this video that Smith is excited to have a change of scenery and be back with a coach he respects a lot. Smith was also open about Pittsburgh being a team that views him as someone who could be due for a big payday.

“I had to make the decision to go where I’m appreciated and viewed on paper…contract-wise as a top guy in this league, which I know I am. Pittsburgh was the team that saw me as that”

Not only does Smith get to reunite with a former coach, but he sees Pittsburgh as a place that views him highly and could potentially add more years to his contract.

It will be very interesting to see exactly how Smith fits into the Steelers’ offense. With fellow tight end Pat Freiermuth, we could see the Steelers run more two-tight-end sets than we have seen in recent memory. Expect Aaron Rodgers to spread the ball around this year, but do not doubt that Arthur Smith will draw up some plays for Jonnu Smith to work in space.

Former players reportedly did not enjoy their experiences with Mike Tomlin

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is a future Hall of Famer, but also one of the most polarizing figures in the NFL today. Folks love bringing up that he has never had a losing season, which is an incredible feat, to be fair. However, he’s also gone eight seasons without a playoff win, which is the longest such drought for the Steelers in the Super Bowl era.

And while Tomlin is practically untouchable to many in the media, one NFL insider revealed that he may not be as beloved as many would have you think.

Appearing on 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh, NFL insider Aditi Kinkhabwala says that many former players are not the biggest fans of Tomlin.

“There are many, many former players that I have spoken to that have bitten their tongues about their experience with Mike,” Kinkhabwala said via Aaron Becker of Steelers Now. “There’s a huge disconnect, right? Because the national media is in love with Mike Tomlin, and the national media never brings up the playoff drought.”

While, obviously, Kinkhabwala wouldn’t reveal which former Steelers feel this way, but the fact that, in her words, many former players have these opinions on Tomlin that they keep to themselves is somewhat shocking, considering that whenever players sign with the Steelers, they attribute Tomlin as being a big reason why they wanted to go to Pittsburgh.

Tomlin signed an extension with the Steelers last June, keeping him in Pittsburgh through the 2027 season.

By the end of the 2024 regular season, the Bears, Jets and Saints had already moved on from their head coaches. Those teams were joined by Cowboys, Jaguars, Raiders and Patriots in making a change on the sidelines.

After their midseason terminations, Matt Eberflus, Robert Saleh and Dennis Allen each landed defensive coordinator gigs during the 2025 hiring cycle. The staffers who remained in place through the end of the campaign have yet to line up their next NFL opportunity, however. Mike McCarthy withdrew from the Saints’ search, setting the 61-year-old for at least one year out of coaching (just like the pause between his Packers and Cowboys stints).

Meanwhile, Doug Pederson was unable to parlay interest in an offensive coordinator position into a hire this spring. The former Super Bowl winner is thus set to be out of coaching for 2025. The same will also be true of Antonio Pierce and Jerod Mayo after their one-and-done stints as full-time head coaches did not go as planned.

While recent months have brought about the latest round of changes, many of the longest-tenured head coaches around the league remain in place. McCarthy was the only staffer within the top 10 on last year’s list in that regard who has been replaced. In all, nine head coaches hired at the beginning of this decade (or earlier) will carry on with their respective teams in 2025.

Six of those reside in the AFC, with Mike Tomlin – who became the league’s longest-tenured head coach last year in the wake of Bill Belichick’s Patriots departure – once again leading the way, albeit with questions about his future beyond this season present. The NFC will include Sean McVay, Kyle Shanahan and Matt LaFleur handling their familiar roles in 2025, although the latter (who has two years left on his deal) will not receive an early extension.

Here is a look at how the league’s head coaches shape up entering the 2025 campaign:

1. Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh Steelers): January 27, 2007; extended through 2027
2. John Harbaugh (Baltimore Ravens): January 19, 2008; extended through 2028
3. Andy Reid (Kansas City Chiefs): January 4, 2013; extended through 2029
4. Sean McDermott (Buffalo Bills): January 11, 2017; extended through 2027
5. Sean McVay (Los Angeles Rams): January 12, 2017; extended through 2027
6. Kyle Shanahan (San Francisco 49ers): February 6, 2017; extended through 2027
7. Matt LaFleur (Green Bay Packers): January 8, 2019: signed extension in July 2022
8. Zac Taylor (Cincinnati Bengals): February 4, 2019; extended through 2026
9. Kevin Stefanski (Cleveland Browns): January 13, 2020; signed extension in June 2024
10. Dan Campbell (Detroit Lions): January 20, 2021; extended through 2027
11. Nick Sirianni (Philadelphia Eagles): January 21, 2021; signed offseason extension
12. Brian Daboll (New York Giants): January 28, 2022
13. Kevin O’Connell (Minnesota Vikings): February 2, 2022; signed offseason extension
14. Mike McDaniel (Miami Dolphins): February 6, 2022
15. Todd Bowles (Tampa Bay Buccaneers): March 30, 2022; extended through 2028
16. Sean Payton (Denver Broncos): January 31, 2023
17. DeMeco Ryans (Houston Texans): January 31, 2023
18. Shane Steichen (Indianapolis Colts): February 14, 2023
19. Jonathan Gannon (Arizona Cardinals): February 14, 2023
20. Brian Callahan (Tennessee Titans): January 22, 2024
21. Jim Harbaugh (Los Angeles Chargers): January 24, 2024
22. Dave Canales (Carolina Panthers): January 25, 2024
23. Raheem Morris (Atlanta Falcons): January 25, 2024
24. Mike Macdonald (Seattle Seahawks): January 31, 2024
25. Dan Quinn (Washington Commanders): February 1, 2024
26. Mike Vrabel (New England Patriots): January 12, 2025
27. Ben Johnson (Chicago Bears): January 20, 2025
28. Aaron Glenn (New York Jets): January 22, 2025
29. Liam Coen (Jacksonville Jaguars): January 23, 2025
30. Pete Carroll (Las Vegas Raiders): January 24, 2025
31. Brian Schottenheimer (Dallas Cowboys): January 24, 2025
32. Kellen Moore (New Orleans Saints): February 11, 2025

Throughout the offseason, it has become clear that T.J. Watt and the Steelers have not had a smooth process with respect to extension talks. Since the former Defensive Player of the Year’s absence from minicamp, uncertainty has picked up regarding his future.

Team and player have publicly expressed a desire to work out a third contract, one which will bring about a raise from the $21.05MM Watt is currently owed for 2025. The four-time All-Pro could move to the top of the pecking order amongst defensive players once his new pact is signed, but it remains unclear when that will take place. Surprising as a trade may be, it is also yet to be seen if Watt will indeed stay in Pittsburgh moving forward.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports Watt and the Steelers are “nowhere close” to a deal at this point. Time remains until training camp for progress to be made, of course, but the financial gap present in this case has added to the interest shown by outside teams. Suitors have reached out to Pittsburgh about a potential trade even though hammering out an extension is still the priority for general manager Omar Khan and Co.

During an appearance on 93.7 The Fan (audio link), Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette confirmed Watt is currently unhappy with the nature of contract talks. At least one offer of unknown value has been submitted, and to no surprise the matter of guarantees will be a sticking point in negotiations. Fittipaldo predicted an extension will be the outcome in this situation while adding “nothing is off the table” with regard to a potential trade.

Watt led the NFL in sacks for the third time in a four-year span in 2023. His production in that respect slipped last season, one in which he still managed to top the league with six forced fumbles. At the age of 30, the Steelers will need to weigh the risks of a drop-off in play with age to a much larger extent this time around compared to their 2021 Watt investment. That deal came about after a lengthy negotiating process, and it appears the situation will not be much different this summer.

Myles Garrett leads the way with a $40MM AAV amongst edge rushers. The Steelers – a team which has done away with standard operating procedure this offseason in terms of roster moves – could wind up matching or surpassing that figure in Watt’s case. If that is to happen, however, considerable progress will need to be made over the coming weeks.

Coming off a career year in 2024, Jonnu Smith aimed to remain in Miami for the coming season and beyond. Talks on an extension did not produce an agreement, however, leaving a trade as a distinct possibility.

Indeed, Smith was included in the blockbuster deal which saw All-Pro defensive backs Jalen Ramsey and Minkah Fitzpatrick traded earlier this week. Smith, like Ramsey, is headed to Pittsburgh. That will allow him to reunite once again with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. Nevertheless, the trade came as a surprise in Jonnu Smith’s case.

“I didn’t foresee this happening with how the season went for me individually,” the 29-year-old said during an appearance on former teammate Terron Armstead‘s podcast (video link). “I had aspirations of ending my career in Miami, with it being home for me, my children, my family. But I understand the business side of it, and it didn’t work out.”

2024 saw Smith record the most productive campaign by a tight end in Dolphins history with 884 yards and eight touchdowns. That helped his leverage in attempting to secure a raise on a new deal compared to the $4.09MM he was owed for the coming season. After a number of other offseason moves took place, though, the Dolphins made it known a new pact in line with Smith’s asking price was not forthcoming.

“We started this conversation in January with Miami and, obviously, giving me the run-around, ‘We’ll [get] back to it,’” Smith added. “I was patient with them throughout the whole entire process, and eventually it came to a point in time where they told me that they just can’t do it and they weren’t economically in a position to pay me like a Pro Bowl tight end.”

Over his first seven years in the league, Smith topped 500 receiving yards once. As a result, it is understandable the Dolphins viewed his Pro Bowl campaign in 2024 as an outlier more than an indication he would be able to duplicate that success moving forward in head coach Mike McDaniel‘s scheme. After agreeing to trade Smith to Pittsburgh, Miami took an unexpected route to find his replacement, acquiring the now-unretired Darren Waller from the Giants.

The Steelers worked out a one-year, $12MM Smith extension as part of the trade. The former third-rounder will be expected to operate as part of a productive TE tandem with Pat Freiermuth during a 2025 campaign which will feature several new faces on offense in Pittsburgh. How Smith fares in his latest NFL gig will be key in determining whether or not the Dolphins’ decision to move on was the right one.

What are the Steelers getting after Monday’s blockbuster trade?

The Steelers are once again in the NFL headlines after pulling off a blockbuster trade with the Miami Dolphins. With apologies to Mason McCormick, we’ll be pushing back his turn at “2024 in Review” for a second time due to big additions being made to the 2025 Steelers.

As always, Ryan and Ryland will divvy up the film work. This week, the division of labor is easy with the Steelers getting not one, but two new playmakers.

Ryland, why don’t you get us started?

What are the Steelers getting in new defensive back Jalen Ramsey?

Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images

RB: I’ve been rather lukewarm on the Steelers’ recent trade, but there’s plenty of room for cautious optimism. Jonnu Smith is a fun player in his own right, but it’s veteran cornerback Jalen Ramsey who I’m most excited to see in the black and gold.

The surest path to Pittsburgh winning this trade is Ramsey balling out. Even at 30 years old, he can absolutely still play.

What stands out immediately is Ramsey’s aggression. He’ll fit right in alongside DeShon Elliott — his former teammate — in the Pittsburgh secondary. Ramsey has no fear triggering downhill to make tackles, and despite being primarily a boundary corner in 2024, he relished his opportunities near the line of scrimmage.

Ramsey was blitzed a lot in 2024, both from the outside and the slot. It’s a real asset in his game, and Ramsey shows the requisite burst and physicality to make an impact. Even though he doesn’t get home in any of the plays below, he still helps force an incompletion in each one.

Ramsey fits much better in the slot than Joey Porter Jr. and Darius Slay, and I assume the Steelers will want their top three cornerbacks all on the field as much as possible. If Ramsey plays there a lot in 2025, expect the nickel blitz to be a prominent feature of the Pittsburgh defense.

Another area where Ramsey surprised me was how successful he was setting the edge against the run. Again, he’s an incredibly willing and physical defender against the run, especially for a veteran at his position.

Ramsey’s missed tackle rate jumped to 14.3% last season, just about double his career average. It’s a mild worry — there were definitely some wrap-up attempts he’d like back — but Ramsey still came across as an above-average tackler for a defensive back. And his disruptive style of play made up for some of the misses.

Ramsey’s versatility is a hallmark of his game. He played significant snaps at both right and left outside cornerback in 2024. He logged just over 150 snaps in the slot, and although he didn’t dabble much at safety, the Dolphins would sometimes use an inverted Tampa 2 look that would have Ramsey defending a deep half. He looked comfortable playing man, zone, press, and off coverage.

Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver was one of the more creative coverage minds in the NFL last season, and Ramsey’s ability to be a standout starter anywhere in the secondary was huge for the Miami scheme.

What’s also worth noting is that Ramsey, as well as Steelers free agent addition Darius Slay, have experience in Vic Fangio’s quarters and match-heavy defensive scheme. Reportedly, that’s a defensive wrinkle the Steelers might explore more in 2025. Fangio was Ramsey’s defensive coordinator in 2023, although Ramsey didn’t seem to be happy with how he was utilized that season.

As an aside to Ramsey’s implied frustrations with Fangio, the cornerback’s NFL career hasn’t exactly been drama-free. His tenure with the Jacksonville Jaguars ended with a lot of fireworks, and his time in Miami concluded with both sides seeking a trade despite Ramsey being just one year into a three-year, $72.3 million extension.

At the time, he was the highest-paid at his position; now, he’s still the third. It’s pretty clear his dispute with Miami didn’t have to do with money. And now, Ramsey comes to the Steelers, a team that has had its fair share of culture controversies in recent memory.

It’s worth bringing up, but as of now, Ramsey seems to be excited to be in Pittsburgh:

He’s still pretty good on the field, too.

In coverage, Ramsey shows some signs of age, but he’s not markedly slow. Here he is defending some downfield routes:

He was burned a few times in 2024, but it was rarely horrible.

In man coverage, receivers can get a step on Ramsey. But he tends to force a near-perfect throw if you’re going to beat him.

That’s because Ramsey’s recovery speed is still impressive. He closes gaps quickly and can generally make up for stumbles and false steps.

But his age does show in his reactionary speed. It’s far from bad, as Ramsey still moves fluidly and switches assignments in zone well, but sharp routes occasionally left him stumbling, creating quick separation.

His game still doesn’t have an Achilles heel, but he’s not consistently elite anymore when left on an island with the opponent’s WR1.

Ramsey makes up for it with his football IQ. He’s anticipatory in coverage and mirrors incredibly well when playing off. He has moments of over-aggression, but generally has a good idea of where the receiver might go next, and where he needs to be positioned.

And to circle back to Ramsey’s physicality, he’s tough at the catch point and uses his 33 3/8” arms to disrupt. He’s always around the ball, with five interceptions over the last two seasons.

Ramsey is still more than capable to start on the outside, but at 30 years old he is starting to show his age. In 2025, he should be a plus starter inside or outside.

In future years, a move to safety makes a lot of sense. It would capitalize on his physicality and instincts, letting him come downhill to make plays and hiding athletic deficiencies.

In the meantime, Ramsey’s versatility and aggressive style of play could provide a boost to a Steeler defense that felt stagnant at times last season. As with all defensive backs on the wrong side of 30, regression is a real concern, but Ramsey still looks like a quality defensive back.

However, it’s important to keep a balanced perspective on how much the Steelers defense has improved since trading for Ramsey. Yes, he’s still a good player, but so was Minkah Fitzpatrick. Is there a noticeable net gain on that side of the ball?

It’s impossible to pass judgment until we see how the Steelers utilize Ramsey, who still doesn’t have a clear role in their defense. I’m willing to bet it’ll be primarily in the slot, but the boundary and even free safety are absolutely in the cards.

And remember, Minkah Fitzpatrick is a versatile player himself. The Steelers just weren’t an exceptionally creative coverage team last year, while the Dolphins were. It’ll be interesting to see how Ramsey and Fitzpatrick’s respective games adapt as they swap schemes in the new year.

But if Ramsey does stick at cornerback in 2025, whether in the slot or on the boundary, he should have more opportunities at pass breakups and line of scrimmage splash plays than Fitzpatrick did as a single-high safety last year. That’s just the nature of each position, and you can see it in each player’s stats: Fitzpatrick had 36 more tackles as a player who was on cleanup duty a lot; Ramsey had more interceptions, passes defensed, and tackles for loss.

A focus of the Steelers’ defensive philosophy is splash plays, and Ramsey should provide more in 2025.

And while Fitzpatrick is the younger player, Ramsey, at least for the time being, is playing the more valuable position to a defense. As I wrote on Tuesday, the trade doesn’t leave the Steelers looking like particularly big winners — or losers.

Trade value aside, the seven-time Pro Bowler still looks the part and could definitely return to Orlando after 2025.

What about tight end Jonnu Smith?

Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images

RP: When looking at this trade, there’s little doubt that Ramsey is the name on the marquee. That said, Smith is coming off a career year in which he set career highs in targets (111), receptions (88), yards (884), touchdowns (8) and first downs converted (55).

It’s unlikely that Pittsburgh will provide him the same amount of opportunities that Miami’s circumstances afforded him in 2024, but there’s a case to be made that he was the best offensive weapon available on the market. And while the fit may feel a bit clunky with Smith having a similar skillset to Pat Freiermuth, it’s hard to fault the Steelers for adding another pass-catcher to an offense with questionable depth behind DK Metcalf, Freiermuth, and Calvin Austin III. Not to mention this is now the third different team that Jonnu and Arthur Smith have joined forces on. There’s clearly some chemistry there.

So, what does Jonnu Smith bring to the table?

Evaluating Smith is a little more straightforward than parsing out all the responsibilities on defense for a player like Ramsey. For our purposes today, Smith’s role is much simpler. The Steelers need him to be a playmaker in the passing game, and he needs to be at least an adequate blocker for how often the Steelers are going to want to line up in 12 and 13 personnel — i.e., plays with two or three tight ends on the field at once. Spoiler alert, he does one of those things much better than the other.

As a pass catcher, he has reliable hands. In four of the past six seasons, Smith’s dropped 2 passes or fewer, never dropping more than three passes in a season during that period.

But where he makes his money might surprise you.

Despite his 4.62-speed, Smith has never been a consistent vertical threat, never having more than two targets of 20+ yards in a single season. Part of that is because he’s a bit stiffer and more of a linear runner while he’s running his routes. To be fair, that’s not entirely unusual for a tight end. For his career, Smith has converted 4-of-11 targets for 158 yards and 2 touchdowns in this area of the field.

Where Smith thrives is with the ball in his hands in space, appearing much looser and more fluid with his movements on these types of routes. That’s why he’s often been used in the short-to-intermediate areas, and even on screens. Of Smith’s 433 career targets, 20.7% have come behind the line of scrimmage and 72.2% have been no further than 10 yards downfield.

This should be his primary role for the Steelers, and he should get a healthy dose of drags/shallow crossers, short in-breaking routes, hook and hitch routes, screens, and checkdowns.

Smith can also contribute in the intermediate (10-19 yards) part of the field, though he doesn’t have a particularly complex route tree. Still, Smith’s hands are reliable enough to keep defenses honest in this part of the field.

It will be interesting to see where Smith falls in the pecking order for targets. Many of the routes he runs are routes that Freiermuth is equally equipped for, and in many cases, runs better.

Smith saw a dramatic increase in production in large part thanks to Miami’s ineffective line, and the injuries experienced by their two best receivers. His 111 targets blew his previous career high (70) — which he achieved in 2023, his lone season with Arthur Smith in Atlanta, where he was the TE2 behind Kyle Pitts — completely out of the water. For context, Freiermuth had 78 total targets last season. Rodgers, meanwhile, targeted tight ends 108 times between the trio of Tyler Conklin (72), Jeremy Ruckert (28) and Kenny Yeboah (8).

Where this could go poorly for Pittsburgh is Smith’s blocking. Smith isn’t the worst blocker I’ve ever seen, but he certainly isn’t winning any awards. That could complicate things for the Steelers as they try to mix and match their personnel and how they have them aligned. Going into this exercise, I was inclined to think Smith might thrive in a hybrid H-Back/fullback role, especially if you could get him moving pre-snap, but the results on tape were underwhelming. Smith has never lined up in a backfield for more than 29 snaps in an entire season, and when you see his run blocking, it’s not too difficult to see why.

These are just two plays, of course, but Smith’s high pads and sloppy technique are all over his film as a run blocker.

This will make things tricky for the Steelers. If they pull Smith and insert Washington whenever they want to run the ball from 12 personnel, that becomes a fairly obvious tell and defeats Arthur Smith’s goal of keeping defenses off balance by running several plays out of the same personnel and alignment packages. But the alternative isn’t much better.

If they keep Washington in as the TE2 to block, that would likely reduce Smith to the Conner Heyward/Mycole Pruitt, and you don’t hand over a $12 million extension to somebody for such a small role. Likewise, I can’t see the Steelers drastically reducing Freiermuth’s role after signing him through 2028 last summer.

So will that mean less Washington? Perhaps, especially if Aaron Rodgers once again finishes near the top of the league in passes attempted. Washington has some freaky athletic traits, but he’s not a smooth runner whose value comes from blocking. If the Steelers plan to run the ball as much as we think, that could mean choosing to leave one of their highest-paid pass catchers or their best blocker on the sideline.

And if you’re screaming that they’ll just use more 13 personnel, remember that the Steelers used that grouping for just 15.2% of their offensive snaps in 2024, and that was the 8th-most in the NFL. I’m all for getting weird this season on offense, but that feels important context when framing our expectations.

It will be an interesting balance for Arthur Smith to strike. I know I sound pessimistic, but I ultimately agree with Ryland and remain cautiously optimistic that the Steelers can prove they got better, at least in the short term, with this trade. As both an NFL Draft obsessive and a fantasy football enthusiast, I’ve long admired Smith from afar and felt his skill set was underutilized and/or miscast, especially during his time in New England. I am happy to see him suit up in the black and gold.

But I also have some concerns with how it will all fit together cohesively. Arthur Smith will certainly face a unique set of challenges in 2025. Here’s hoping he brings his “A” game.

Join in on Steelers R&R by sharing your takes on this week’s topics in the comments. What are your thoughts on Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith as players? Feel free to pitch future questions in the comment section or on Twitter/X: tag @_Ryland_B or @RyanParishMedia, or email us at steelersreadnreact@gmail.com

It’s been nearly a month since Gabe Davis visited the Steelers. While the veteran wide receiver didn’t immediately put pen to paper, it sounds like he remains a target for the organization. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Davis is “still an option” for Pittsburgh.

[RELATED: Steelers To Host WR Gabe Davis]

Fowler adds that the wideout “really enjoyed” his visit with the franchise back in June. However, Davis is expected to take his time deciding on his next landing spot, with Fowler suggesting that a signing could come closer to training camp.

Davis was a popular name after getting cut by the Jaguars in May. In addition to the Steelers, the 26-year-old met with the 49ers, Giants, and Saints. The receiver’s free agency tour ended with that New Orleans visit in early June, and we can assume each of those suitors remain in the race for the veteran’s services.

Davis inked a three-year, $39MM deal with the Jaguars last offseason, but he only lasted one season in Jacksonville before earning his walking papers. His 2024 campaign represented one of the worst seasons of his career, as the wideout compiled career-lows in receptions (20), receiving yards (239), and receiving touchdowns (two). Teams are still clearly banking on the player’s Buffalo performance, where he hauled in 27 touchdowns across four seasons. This included a 2022 campaign where the former fourth-round pick hauled in 48 catches for 836 yards.

The Steelers are naturally operating as if Davis won’t be on their squad in 2025, and this means they’re eyeing a group of receivers behind new WR1 D.K. Metcalf. As ESPN’s Brooke Pryor writes, Calvin Austin III currently appears to be in the lead for the team’s WR2 role.

The former fourth-round pick had a strong sophomore season, finishing with 36 catches for 548 yards and four touchdowns. The organization is confident he can hit another level, with receivers coach Zach Azzanni declaring during minicamp that the second receiver role was “Calvin’s right now.”

As Pryor notes, Austin will still have to build a rapport with Aaron Rodgers, which will go a long way in determining the receiver hierarchy. The third-year player will be competing with the likes of Robert Woods, Scotty Miller, Roman Wilson, and Ben Skowronek for reps behind Metcalf.