2022 Steelers Training Camp Preview: The Wide Receivers
It’s hard to believe but the Pittsburgh Steelers 2022 Training Camp is right around the corner. As we countdown the days until camp begins, SCU will highlight each position group detailing the players who will be competing for a spot on the Steelers’ final 53-man roster at the end of this Summer.
One area where the Pittsburgh Steelers never seem to be lacking is at the wide receiver position.
I’ll never forget the days of Bill Cowher struggling to find his number one target. From names such as Yancey Thigpen, Ernie Mills, Jeff Graham, Troy Edwards, Charles Johnson, and even “Slash” himself, Kordell Stewart, the Black and Gold used to identify as a run-first, smash mouth offense.
Over the course of the Heinz Field era, that sentiment has drastically changed as a number of luminaries have come and gone, all with fairly high praise: Plaxico Burress, Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown, and Emmanuel Sanders are just a few names which even dwarf those with short tenures, such as Nate Washington or Martavis Bryant.
With the departure of JuJu Smith-Schuster in free agency, Pittsburgh finds themselves with a changing of the guard once more – including a first-time Pro Bowl receiver who enters his final contract year, as well as two new rookies chosen in this year’s NFL Draft.
Here’s how the list of the Steelers next slate of potentially great receivers looks heading into training camp.
Diontae Johnson
The Steelers’ leading receiver over the last two seasons enters the final year of his rookie contract, with much speculation as to his future in Pittsburgh.
Those details come more from the crazy receiver market this offseason, which saw several high profile players exceed the $20 million-per-year mark, and a plethora of top targets getting traded to new teams.
With those distractions aside, Johnson is without a doubt Pittsburgh’s WR1, after being named to his first Pro Bowl in 2021 with 1,161 yards and 8 touchdowns.
2022 Outlook
Whether Johnson gets paid now, or later, he will get paid… by someone.
In three seasons with the Steelers Johnson has put up 2,764 yards and 20 touchdowns. Those aren’t superstar numbers, but considering his 2019 season was spent with first-time NFL passers Mason Rudolph and Devlin Hodges, and that Johnson had his best season last year with an aging Ben Roethlisberger, you can see where his star is rising regardless of the support he has at the quarterback position.
He should be in line to once again lead the team in receptions and yards. He may even breakout further depending on how the signal caller competition shapes up!
Chase Claypool
Second in receiving yards to Johnson with 860, Claypool’s 2021 season was considered a letdown by many: and I don’t understand why.
Claypool burst onto the scene during his rookie season with a huge four touchdown game against the Philadephia Eagles. He finished that season with 9 touchdown receptions, but finished 2021 with only 2.
However, Chase’s receptions and yards were consistent. He caught 62 passes on 109 targets for 873 yards in 2020, and would nearly match those same numbers with 59 catches on 105 targets for 860 yards in 2021.
His yards-per-catch actually increased last season by a half-yard-per.
2022 Outlook
And all of those stats may not mean much. It all depends on Claypool’s concentration, as the Steelers are already insuring their future in the receiver room with George Pickens and Calvin Austin joining the team via the NFL Draft.
Pickens, a monster of an athlete selected in the second round, better projects to playing Claypool’s snaps, while Austin can come a ways to being Johnson’s potential successor.
If Johnson ends up with a milestone contract, it’s unlikely the Steelers will be in a position to pay Claypool big money when he enters his final year of his rookie deal in 2023. Therefore, 2022 could be a true make-or-break season for Claypool.
He has all of the tools to be a bigtime receiver, but he also has to prove it on the field sooner than later, with competition breathing down his neck.
George Pickens
The Georgia product was the Steelers second round draft pick and projects to get playing time sooner rather than later.
With a 6-3 frame, he can play all over the field, including the slot, which could create nightmare matchup problems when adding Johnson, Claypool, and TE Pat Freiermuth into the offensive equation.
Injuries limited Pickens’s 2021 season, but he was well on his way to being a top collegiate receiver after hauling in over 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns in his freshman and sophomore years.
2022 Outlook
Mike Tomlin has been reluctant to rush rookie receiver onto the field before, but I have a gut feeling Pickens is going to make that a tougher decision.
He may not start the season with a lot of snaps, but I’d venture to guess that by the end of 2022, Pickens could be fully entrenched in the Steelers offense.
Calvin Austin III
This Memphis Tiger was the Steelers fourth round choice this past draft, adding yet another shifty receiver with field vision to their arsenal.
In 49 games for Memphis, Austin caught 156 passes for 2,541 yards and had 22 touchdowns. He also returned punts – 29 of them – making him a versatile chess piece who comes off as a mirror image of Diontae Johnson coming out of college.
2022 Outlook
I feel bad saying this, because I feel Austin could be a true draft steal – but he may not see the field often.
The Pickens and Austin dynamic reminds me of Emmanuel Sanders and Antonio Brown over ten years ago. Both receivers joined a group that had Mike Wallace and Hines Ward entrenched as starters.
Brown, however, cut his teeth as a returner, and would eventually get more offensive reps when Sanders was sidelined with a recurring foot injury.
Turns out both would be dynamic players, and I am predicting the same for Pickens and Austin too… but they’re going to need to find a way to get on the field with Johnson and Claypool atop the depth chart.
Gunner Olszewski
A Pro Bowl returner with the New England Patriots, Gunner will be Ray-Ray McCloud‘s replacement on the team.
Unlike McCloud, I don’t expect Olszewski to see very many offensive reps, if any. He’s strictly a special teams player: and a good one at that.
Veterans in Camp
The Steelers claimed former Ravens receiver Miles Boykin off of waivers earlier this year. They also brought back former Bears second round pick, Anthony Miller, who saw little action last season with the team.
Either could compete for early time on the field if Pickens and/or Austin aren’t ready for action. I’d lean more toward Boykin having the better chance, as Miller is a smaller slot receiver while the former stands 6-foot-4, offering size that the Steelers only have with Claypool (6-4) and Pickens (6-3.)
Steven Sims, formerly of the Washington Football Team, also enters camp as a veteran who was on the Steelers practice squad last season.
Best of the Rest
Three more receivers enter camp with the Steelers: two of them could be called “veterans” as well, though they have less experience.
Cody White will enter his third season with Pittsburgh, mostly on the practice squad. However, was called up to the main roster and made his NFL regular season debut in Week 3 of last season. White caught five passes for 33 yards during the course of 2021.
Tyler Vaughns enters his second training camp after being on the practice squad in 2021. He has yet to make his NFL debut.
Undrafted rookie Tyler Snead is a small (5-7, 174 lbs) dynamo who also excels as a kick returner. He made numerous awards watch lists with Eastern Carolina and is among the leaders in school history in most receiving and return categories.
