Steelers lose on Brandon Aiyuk backup plan to Commanders, which leaves only one option

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a roster with a lot of good, quite a bit of bad, and some ugly. Their defense should once again be stellar. Their quarterback play, while better than it was the last couple of years with Kenny Pickett, will still be bad. Their wide receiver room is flat-out ugly. There isn't another word that can be used to describe it.

George Pickens has a lot of talent and had over 1,100 yards last season, but he can't do it alone. If the season began today, it feels as if he would. That's what makes the loss of Noah Brown who signed with the Washington Commanders on Wednesday sting more.

Brown is far from a household name, but he'd probably be the second-best receiver on this Steelers team. He had 33 receptions for 567 yards last season for the Houston Texans, proving to be a solid option for C.J. Stroud to turn to.

Now, without Brown, the Steelers are still stuck with Van Jefferson as their likely WR2. That, for obvious reasons, is not good enough, especially with Russell Wilson as their starting quarterback. Losing out on Brown means that the Steelers really have one more option. They need to pull off a Brandon Aiyuk trade.

Only Steelers option after Noah Brown whiff is to trade for Brandon Aiyuk

The Brandon Aiyuk saga has dragged on all offseason and it feels as if there is no end in sight. He was holding in to avoid fines throughout the preseason, but the star receiver was absent at Wednesday's practice. He is looking for an extension or a trade, and the San Francisco 49ers have yet to agree to either.

The Steelers are one of several teams (Commanders are another) who have been linked to Aiyuk the entire way, but have yet to pull off a deal. All it takes is one phone call for talks to heat up again, but things have been quiet on the Pittsburgh front involving Aiyuk for a little while now.

Giving up a package that San Francisco would willingly accept and having to pay a ton of money for Aiyuk is far from ideal, but if the Steelers want to win, they desperately need to figure something out. They cannot willingly enter the season with Van Jefferson as the WR2 and expect the offense to somehow be good enough to lead them to any postseason success.

Is an Aiyuk trade likely? Of course not. Is it the only other option? it sure feels that way. The good receivers who were cut are likely all snatched up, and the trade block won't be full of many appealing options either. Brown is a starting-caliber receiver that Pittsburgh let slip away. They can't afford to do the same with Aiyuk if they want to win in 2024.