The Pittsburgh Steelers need to go for broke this season. Even though T.J. Watt's contract extension does not kick into high gear until next year, now is the time to go for it. They have brought aboard Aaron Rodgers to get them back to the promised land. In comes DK Metcalf to highlight the receiving, but out went the perpetually frustrating George Pickens. The Steelers have not replaced him just yet.
Upon coming across Nick Brinkerhoff's landing spots post of the best remaining NFL free agents for USA TODAY Sports, you did not have to go down very far to find who the Steelers need to target. That would be former Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills wide receiver Amari Cooper. While he had an awful season last year split between the two AFC teams, he was a Pro Bowler in Cleveland in 2023.
Like Pickens, Cooper is a bit mercurial in his own right. This has contributed to him playing for four different franchises in his stellar 10-year career out of Alabama. He has not always played for the most stable of franchises, but he had 1,000-yard seasons in Oakland, Dallas and Cleveland before doing next to nothing in Buffalo. I would venture to guess he would jell right away with Rodgers, too.
I think for the right price, Cooper is potentially a worthwhile addition for the Steelers to make in July.
Is Amari Cooper the best the Pittsburgh Steelers can do at wide receiver?
In Brinkerhoff's article, he had Cooper listed No. 1 with a bullet atop his top-10 best remaining free agents. Outside of Cooper, he also mentioned Keenan Allen and Gabe Davis as potential free-agent fits at wide receiver for the Steelers. He also Cooper's former team in the Raiders, as well as the Los Angeles Chargers as possible fits in his extended free agency. In my opinion, Cooper just works here.
At this stage of his career, Cooper is probably not a No. 1 wide receiver anymore. To be fair, Pickens never was going to be that at the NFL level. He is somewhere between an overqualified WR2 and an underwhelming WR1. The good news for the Steelers is they still have Metcalf. He may be an absolute physical specimen with a limited route tree, but he will take some pressure off Cooper in the offense.
The best part for the Steelers is Rodgers loves to throw the ball. While offensive coordinator Arthur Smith prefers to run it, a healthy combination of both could work out quite well for Pittsburgh. In short, everyone has to come together and know their role. The Steelers have a lot of powder kegs entirely, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. It could blow up in their face, or be awesome fireworks!
I would much rather see Cooper in Pittsburgh than head to the Bolts or return to the Silver and Black.