Antonio Brown teases Steelers comeback amid Pittsburgh's receiving corps woes
The Pittsburgh Steelers have exceeded expectations to become the current standard-bearers of the AFC North. Thanks to a dominant defense led by star pass rusher TJ Watt, they have exploded for an 8-2 record ahead of tonight's matchup at the Cleveland Browns.
Offensively, Russell Wilson has become the quintessential game manager, empowering the ground game led by Najee Harris. But despite the exploits of George Pickens and midseason acquisition Mike Williams, the wide receiver corps could use some more depth.
That is where former franchise mainstay Antonio Brown comes in. Earlier this morning, the seven-time Pro Bowler posted this on his X account:
"Offer still out there to come back and play for the Steelers for free to finish the season."
PFF projects Steelers drafting wide receiver in 2025 mock Draft
George Pickens is expected to become a Steelers superstar in the mold of Antonio Brown; but for a while, it seemed as if he and Diontae Johnson would form a monstrously dynamic wideout of the future - and then Johnson was traded to the Carolina Panthers during this offseason.
That left the team scrambling to find a replacement ahead of the Draft. They took Roman Wilson in the third round and made a serious effort to trade for Brandon Aiyuk during his contract holdout.
But neither of these moves turned out as they had hoped. Aiyuk re-signed with the San Francisco 49ers, while Wilson has gotten hurt too often to play meaningful snaps. So they had to make a move, hence the Mike Williams midseason trade.
But with him set to become a free agent after at the end of the season, the Steelers may need to draft another wideout. Pro Football Focus predicts that they will use their second-round pick on Tre Harris.
The current Ole Miss Rebel by way of Louisiana Tech is already on pace to hit a career-best 1,000 yards in 2024 despite a Week 7 injury. He had already surpassed 900 yards in 2022 (his final year as a Bulldog) and 2023 (his Power Five debut), and has scored 28 career touchdowns (ten in 2022).
He also has big-game experience, having won the 2023 Peach Bowl against Penn State.