With the start of the 2025 regular season just weeks away, the Pittsburgh Steelers are still desperate for someone not named DK Metcalf to emerge at the wide receiver position. The trade of George Pickens left a glaring hole on the outside opposite Metcalf, and while second-year slot man Roman Wilson has potential, this team is perilously thin on proven NFL options in the passing game — a fact that Aaron Rodgers has made abundantly clear throughout training camp.
Given that roster crisis, you'd think that any wideout who flashed potential in preseason would be someone that Pittsburgh would be desperate to find room for. And yet, as part of a flurry of moves on Monday, the team decided to release UDFA Roc Taylor:
Steelers release WR Roc Taylor. Yinzers aren't happy
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) August 18, 2025
Far be it from us to question Mike Tomlin, but ... we're having a hard time seeing the logic here. A former Tennessee commit who later went on to blossom into a star at Memphis, Taylor certainly looks the part of an NFL wideout. And he'd flashed repeatedly over Pittsburgh's first two preseason games, with five catches for 77 yards across 49 offensive snaps.
Granted, that's not a ton of evidence to go off of, and NFL history is littered with undrafted rookies who had a moment in the sun in August only to disappear soon after. But right now the Steelers are squarely in "beggars can't be choosers" territory; Robert Woods, Scotty Miller and Ben Skowronek are set to play meaningful roles for this offense in the year of our lord 2025. Taylor would seem to have done more than enough to be given a longer look — but that's never been how OC Arthur Smith rolls.
Roc Taylor just another young player Steelers have sacrificed at the altar of Arthur Smith
Somewhere, Atlanta Falcons fans are nodding their heads vigorously in recognition. Smith runs a precise, sophisticated offense, one that relies on players knowing exactly where to be and when. The problem comes when those players, the ones that Smith trusts most, are no longer the most talented options available.
Woods, Miller and Skowronek have been around the block, and you can understand why Smith would value that sort of experience. But this Steelers team would appear to have a perilously low ceiling on offense this season; while Rodgers might engineer a level of competence, it's hard to figure out where any sort of variance might come from to elevate this unit from merely functional to something capable of a deep playoff run. The odds are against Taylor being that guy (he went undrafted for a reason, after all). The process here leaves a lot to be desired here, though: Smith isn't in a position to afford passing on talent for more unremarkable veterans.
Even if Taylor washes out of the league, that sort of staid thinking is going to haunt this franchise as long as Smith (and even Mike Tomlin) remain in charge. They want things done their way, whereas the best coaches mold themselves to the talent available.