Steelers have to feel deja vu after latest Tyreek Hill trade update

The Pittsburgh Steelers need to improve the wide receiver room. It's a tale as old as time.

Among the many failures of the 2024 campaign for Pittsburgh was Omar Khan's inability to add an impact playmaker next to George Pickens. The Steelers traded Diontae Johnson in the preseason to improve an area of weakness on defense. It was a reasonable move at the time, but it came with an understanding that Pittsburgh needed to find another productive pass-catcher to balance out the offense.

Such a follow-up move never materialized for the Steelers. Several quality wideouts appeared within reach at various points — Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, Davante Adams, DeAndre Hopkins — but the Steelers could never land the plane.

That makes one of this offseason's top priorities, well, finally adding another decent wide receiver. Pickens' talent is beyond reproach, but he's a chaos agent in the locker room and the Steelers' offense just did not put enough firepower around Russell Wilson.

There are questions aplenty surrounding this Steelers team, ranging from 'who will play quarterback in 2025?' to 'is Arthur Smith actually an upgrade over Matt Canada?" That said, the surest way to put this offense where it needs to be, regardless of who lines up under center, is another high-level wideout.

Tyreek Hill appeared to make himself available after a disappointing end to the Miami Dolphins' season. That naturally raised some intrigue in PGH. Now, however, Hill appears to be walking back his initial statement indicating a desire to leave South Beach.

"I don't wanna go nowhere," Hill told FanDuel's Kay Adams this week. "We're building something special in Miami ... obviously this year was hard but if guys continue to buy in ... it's going to be a beautiful thing, man."

Tyreek Hill's reaffirmed commitment to Dolphins puts Steelers' WR hunt in jeopardy

There won't be a more dynamic pass-catcher to become available this offseason than Hill. He still ranks among the very best in football, equipped with unmatched speed and a unique physicality, despite his undersized frame. Last season was filled with injuries and uncertainty for Hill, and his contract is rather obscene, but the Steelers — and several other teams — would've leapt at the opportunity to add Hill.

Unfortunately, it appears the 30-year-old won't be going anywhere.

At least Davante Adams in changing teams this summer, right? The Steelers were on the shortlist for Adams last season, but he wound up reuniting with Aaron Rodgers in New York. A logical landing spot, even if it didn't work out. This offseason, though, even Adams appears to be distancing himself from the Steelers' prying front office.

This is a tough break for the Steelers, who can't seem to find the right time and place to add a true Pro Bowl weapon opposite Pickens. Maybe they can circle back to Deebo Samuel? The options are running thin already.

Pittsburgh's roster has plenty of holes beyond the WR position, but if Khan and the front office fail to put a more dynamic pass-catching corps together, it'll be hard to blame Arthur Smith when he inevitably leans too heavily on the run. Be it Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, or a surprise third option at the commands in 2025, the Steelers need more firepower at wide receiver. If not Hill, the Steelers need to find someone else to pounce on.