PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – Mike Tomlin says he feels comfortable with the receiver room right now, but it wasn't always that way.
Tomlin said during his news conference on Tuesday, before the Steelers open the season in Atlanta, he had some questions about the group dating back to the Spring. It had bothered him enough that a couple of weeks into training camp in Latrobe, he sought out the receivers to tell them just that. That he had some concerns with them. He said he wanted to be transparent.
Since then.
"The consistency in which those guys performed in Latrobe and through team development has made me more comfortable," Tomlin said. "Specifically, I am talking about Scotty Miller and Van Jefferson."
"I can't say enough about the consistency in which they perform. Their floor, if you will. They behave like veteran NFL players and that's provided some comfort in the midst of the transition that comes with dealing with new people and getting acclimated in that way."
Jefferson had a really good second season in the NFL, catching 50 passes for 802 yards and six touchdowns with the Rams, which ended with a Super Bowl ring. Last season, starting with Los Angeles (8 receptions for 108 yards in 4 starts) and then Arthur Smith and the Falcons (12 games, 12 receptions, 101 yards) the 6'1" Jefferson totaled 20 catches for 209 yards and no scores catching 46% of the passes that came his way.
Miller won a Super Bowl with Tom Brady in Tampa catching a career-high 33 passes for 501 yards, a 15.2 average and three touchdowns. Combined in the next three years after, 38 receptions for 384 yards and two touchdowns in 41 games. The 5'9" Miller also spent last season with Arthur Smith, catching 69% of the passes his way, 11 receptions for 161 yards and two touchdowns.
Trade Diontae too fast?
There has been much debate on whether the team traded receiver Diontae Johnson to Carolina without having a back-up plan at the position. Say what you want about him, but in his five-year Steelers career he caught 391 passes for 4,363 yards, for 217 first downs and 25 touchdowns even with catching none in 2022.
Asked if he found adding at receiver a challenge after moving Diontae?
"Not at all, to be quite honest with you," Tomlin said. "There is a plethora of receivers, not only in the draft, but in free agency. You can look at that position in the top three rounds of the draft over the last five years and it gives you an indication of the amount of talent and the readiness of that talent."
"We were really comfortable with it and not overly concerned about it," Tomlin said.
Quite famously the team did try to acquire San Francisco receiver Brandon Aiyuk, but after a long process he ended up staying with a new contract with the Niners. The Steelers did add receiver Roman Wilson, and if not for an ankle injury early in camp, might be making all feel better about the position.
Tomlin said they are excited about him.
George Pickens remains the alpha, no debating his skills or the impact he's had in a few games in the NFL. Tomlin said his concerns about the rest have been abated as he's watched them work. Sunday will begin to tell if that carries over into games.
