Madden Monday: If Steelers don't land a legit No. 2 WR, Omar Khan will have 'flunked the offseason'

While some Pittsburgh Steelers fans are insisting the lack of depth at wide receiver is a problem that will be rectified before the 2024 season kicks off, others are worried.

As we discussed at “Breakfast With Benz” last week, consider me in that second camp.

During this week’s “Madden Monday” podcast, Mark Madden of 105.9 The X and TribLive insisted that if the Steelers don’t figure out how to bolster the starting talent at that position opposite George Pickens, it’ll be a recipe for disaster.

“If they do not get a very legitimate No. 2 wide receiver, that will kill Pickens because Pickens will be absorbing double teams forever, and his head will explode after about four or five games,” Madden said.

It’s Madden’s belief that the baseline for an acceptable No. 2 receiver should be nothing less than Courtland Sutton. He’s the Denver Broncos pass-catcher who was a rumored target of the Steelers before the draft. The 28-year-old SMU product ended 2023 with 59 catches, 772 yards and 10 touchdowns from current Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson when the two men were teammates a year ago.

Reports since the draft suggest that if the Broncos ever did have an interest in trading Sutton, they don’t now. And if the Steelers do enter the 2024 campaign with the wide receiver room aligned as currently constructed, Madden says that will be a black mark against general manager Omar Khan.

“If they open the season with the guys they have now catching the ball, and nobody appreciably better at the No. 2, the ‘Khan Artist,’ for all the good moves he made, will have flunked the offseason,” Madden said.

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For now, after Pickens, the Steelers’ receivers are rookie Roman Wilson, 2022 draftee Calvin Austin III and journeyman veterans Scotty Miller, Van Jefferson, Quez Watkins, Denzel Mims and Marquez Callaway. All seven of those options combined for just 74 catches and 878 yards between them last year.

“I don’t think they see the need to upgrade drastically at No. 2 receiver,” Madden continued. “That’s because they think it’s the ’70s, and they could pound the ball endlessly. That, too, will make George Pickens’ head explode like a piñata.”

Also, in the podcast, Madden and I discuss the equally thin slot corner position, the franchise’s decision to start Troy Fautanu’s career on the right side of the offensive line, the NHL playoffs, Paul Skenes’ debut for the Pirates and T.J. McConnell’s performance thus far in the NBA playoffs.