The Pittsburgh Steelers have enjoyed quite the eventful offseason, reshaping the entire offense and overhauling major components of the defense. This week's Jalen Ramsey trade was just the most recent in a series of blockbuster moves, including the trade for DK Metcalf, the trade of George Pickens, and of course, the Aaron Rodgers signing. Now the front office has its sights set on a new target.
For all the talent Pittsburgh has brought in or sent out this offseason, a need remains at wide receiver. DK Metcalf and George Pickens were supposed to form the most dynamic pass-catching duo in football, but that dream lasted for a few short weeks until Pickens was sent to Dallas. Now Pittsburgh's WR2 is... Calvin Austin? There's some faith in 2024 third-round pick Roman Wilson, and new tight end Jonnu Smith should produce at a high level, but Pittsburgh's playmaking corps is fairly thin.
That's not good for Rodgers, a 41-year-old quarterback who is losing mobility but absolutely loves to let it fly. Rodgers still ranked near the top of the NFL in pass attempts last season despite his declining athleticism. If Arthur Smith is going to cater his offense to an immobile pocket passer, Pittsburgh needs several dependable sets of hands. Right now, it's Metcalf and... not much else.
As for this new free agent on Pittsburgh's radar, it is none other than former rival and nine-year NFL vet Tyler Boyd.
Steelers take interest in former Bengals WR Tyler Boyd as potential upgrade next to DK Metcalf
"The Steelers did offer [Tyler Boyd a deal]," reported Mark Kaboly on The Fan Morning Show (h/t Yahoo). "This year, but I don't know about the 'offer' — they talked. What I'm under the belief is the money is not there for [Boyd] to make a decision — not only with the Steelers, but across the board. A lot of teams are trying to lowball him right now, and he doesn't want to play for minimum… So that's why he's waiting out to see how this plays out right now. But I did hear that at least the Steelers were talking to him."
While nothing sounds particularly close for the Steelers, reaching out is the first step. Boyd, 30, finished last season with 39 catches for 390 yards in 16 games (eight starts) with the Tennessee Titans. It's hard to judge his output much with Calvin Ridley ahead of him in the pecking order and Will Levis (or Mason Rudolph, ironically enough) throwing the football. Boyd put up 600-plus yards in six straight seasons prior to his quiet 2024 campaign, including a pair of 1,000-yard seasons in 2018 and 2019.
Boyd's prime days are long past, but he has long been able to handle a significant target share while running a variety of routes. He thrives more in the intermediate range, which (in theory) complements a more explosive vertical threat like DK Metcalf quite well. Arthur Smith's playbook tends to spread the wealth and get a lot of mileage out of utility wideouts like Boyd. Rodgers figures to add his own flavor to the Pittsburgh scheme this season, but there'd be a chance for Boyd to earn significant reps and really prove his mettle in a more competitive environment.
The Steelers ought to be plenty familiar with Boyd, who spent the first eight years of his career in rival colors with the Cincinnati Bengals. The detour to Nashville did not do much for Boyd's stock, but the Steelers are out of superior options. It's to pay up a little bit and get Boyd in the clubhouse.