Steelers put a Band-Aid on their wide receiver issue after signing a free agent who seems to be well past his prime
A move that makes you question what exactly the Steelers are thinking.
Ever since George Pickens walked out that door on the Southside for the last time, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been searching for his replacement. The problem is, given the date on the calendar when that trade went down, finding a viable option was always going to be an issue.
Pittsburgh hoped that someone like Roman Wilson would step up, but the team left the training wheels on. They signed Marquez Valdes-Scantling to the practice squad, only to never use him. And now, they have signed a 35-year-old WR who was just released earlier this week, giving Aaron Rodgers a new weapon on his birthday.
Steelers claim Adam Thielen off waivers, sign him to the 53-man roster
“Two-time Pro Bowl WR Adam Thielen was claimed off waivers by the Steelers, per source. Thielen, 35, wanted one more shot at a Super Bowl in his final season and now lands with longtime NFC North rival Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh.” – Tom Pelissero, NFL Media
Thielen will be a slot option who, honestly, given the state of the Steelers WR corps, might step right in and take reps from Calvin Austin III and Roman Wilson. The problem is, Thielen was just traded to the Minnesota Vikings after the Carolina Panthers no longer saw a fit for him, and now the Vikings, who have an anemic passing attack, granted him his release. To see if Thielen has any gas left in the tank, I reached out to Tyler Forness of A to Z Sports Minnesota.
“Adam Thielen asked the Vikings to let him go so he could finish what he’s calling his final season on a playoff contender. At 4-8 that wasn’t going to be Minnesota. Even though they gave up a lot to get him by swapping fourth and fifth-round picks for fifth and seventh-round picks. It felt like a heavy price, but the positive PR the Vikings felt worth it if he was just a solid WR3.
Unfortunately, that never happened. He dropped a crucial third down against the Chicago Bears in Week 1 and never really caught on. You can tell the juice is gone, and it was evident across the board. He also caught just eight passes for 69 yards and three drops on 16 targets. I don’t think he will bring much to the Steelers, but it will be fun for him to play with Aaron Rodgers.” -Forness
Sometimes, you wonder if the Steeles are just making moves to make moves.
Pittsburgh Steelers News
Steelers admit fault after controversial offseason signing gets released despite starting for the majority of the season
You could see the Steelers making this move from a mile away.
