The Pittsburgh Steelers have a glaring need at wide receiver after trading George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys. Outside of DK Metcalf, the team doesn’t have a starting-caliber player at the position currently on the roster, and the offense is looking incredibly lackluster, with the quarterback situation still unsolved as well.
Pittsburgh should look towards the free agency market to fill the need for another playmaker, and Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton predicts the team will make a splash signing by adding Buffalo Bills free-agent receiver Amari Cooper.
“In a decent quarterback situation, Cooper can be a 1,000-plus-yard receiver. If the Pittsburgh Steelers sign Aaron Rodgers, the 41-year-old would appreciate Cooper’s route running in contrast to DK Metcalf’s limited route tree,” Moton wrote.
Cooper is coming off the worst year of his career in 2024, as the veteran posted career lows in catches, yards, and touchdowns and failed to find a role in the Bills’ offense after being traded to Buffalo from the Cleveland Browns during the trade deadline.
Though Cooper’s performance last year was disappointing, he is just two years removed from an excellent 2023 campaign with the Browns, where he posted a career-high 1,250 yards. The Alabama product can still be a difference-maker for a receiver-needy team, and Pittsburgh would be an intriguing landing spot.
Metcalf and Cooper would be a solid receiver duo and give the Steelers’ starting quarterback a versatile tandem that can stretch the field and also operate in the short and intermediate passing games.
Pittsburgh has $34 million in cap space to work with, and general manager Omar Khan should use some of that money to sign Cooper. The 30-year-old shouldn’t demand a massive contract, as he’s getting older and just posted an underwhelming season, but he would immediately step in as a starter on Arthur Smith’s offense and provide adequate play as a No.2 receiver.
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