Aside from taking a long snapper, the second round selection of JuJu Smith-Schuster was the shocker of the draft. Not many had a wide receiver going to Pittsburgh in the second round, and the thought was if they added an offensive playmaker it would have been a tight end. Sure, Martavis Bryant is a walking liability and likely will not be with the team long-term and Eli Rogers is just an average slot player at best. As of now, those two are in the lineup though, and with Antonio Brown and Smith-Schuster, the Steelers are in contention for the best corps in the league.
That does not even begin to factor in their depth. Last season the Steelers got contributions from Darrius Heyward-Bey, Sammie Coates, Cobi Hamilton and Demarcus Ayers. They added Justin Hunter this off-season as well. These five might have more experience and NFL success than the entire Rams receiver corps. The Steelers will likely carry six receivers at most, but may only carry five as they head into the 2017 season. If they carry six, who are the two that should break away from the other three in training camp?
Sorting Out the Bottom of the Pittsburgh Steelers Wide Receiver Depth Chart
Darrius Heyward-Bey
Age: 30
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 210 pounds
Contract Status: Through 2018
2017 Cap hit: $1.3 Million, Dead Money if cut: $266K
2018 Cap hit: $1.3 Million, Dead Money if cut, $133K
Career-high stats: 64 receptions, 975 yards (2011), Five touchdowns (2012), 19 yards per catch (ypc) (2016), 60% catch rate (2014)
Last year stats: six receptions, 114 yards, two touchdowns, 19 ypc, 31.1% catch rate
Snaps played:
Career: 2166 offensive, 491 special teams
2016: 233 offensive, 114 special teams
Why he should make it
Heyward-Bey is not only the most veteran receiver on the backend, he is the veteran leader of the entire group. When receivers coach Richard Mann missed a day of OTA practice, it was Heyward-Bey who assumed his role and ran the practice. The team looks up to Heyward-Bey, and he has taken a leadership role in the locker room. On top of that, he has more special teams snaps in his career than every other receiver on the team combined. Being a fifth or sixth receiver means hardly seeing the field on offense, so to have such a significant role on special teams makes him a lot more valuable than the other options.
Why he won’t make it
Heyward-Bey is at least three years older than any other player competing for the last spot(s). He had the worst catch rate of all the receivers last season, and in a perfect world, he never takes an offensive snap. By moving on, the Steelers would keep more upside, and the possibility of having a long term player, while Heyward-Bey may not get another contract offer after 2018. Cutting him this summer saves over $1 million this season and next. The Steelers could use that money to help clear some space to extend players such as Stephon Tuitt or Alejandro Villanueva this off-season.
Sammie Coates
Age: 24
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 213 pounds
Contract Status: Through 2018
2017 cap hit: $797K, dead money: $315K
2018 cap hit: $887K, dead money: $157K
Career-high stats: 21 receptions, 435 yards, two touchdowns, 20 ypc 2016), 50% catch rate (2015)
Last year stats: 21 receptions, 435 yards, two touchdowns, 20 ypc 42.9% catch rate
Snaps played:
Career: 349 offensive, 208 special teams
2016: 313 offensive, 191 special teams
Why he should make it
Coates is still just in his third NFL season. He is the second youngest of this group and has a ceiling much higher than Demarcus Ayers. Last season Coates not only led the team, he led the NFL in yards per reception. That is despite playing with broken fingers and needing groin surgery this off-season. The thought is that a now healthy Coates can get back to his first five weeks of the season, where he recorded 19 catches, 421 yards, and two touchdowns.
Why he won’t make it
When Martavis Brant went down, Coates was expected to be the next man up, but could not live up to the pressure. Eli Rogers beat him out in training camp, and his slow fall down the roster began. The Steelers used a week five game against the Jets to try to instill some confidence in him. He put in the worst 139 yard, two touchdown game of all-time as he added in five drops and a 54% completion percentage. From that game on Coates was targeted 18 times and caught two passes for 14 yards. Then, in the AFC Championship, he dropped a third-down pass on the opening drive that could have resulted in a touchdown and changed the entire pace of the game. The injuries are a bit of an excuse, but Coates has confidence questions that still have not been answered.
Demarcus Ayers
Age: 23
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 190 pounds
Contract Status: Exclusive rights free agent in 2018 (has to sign with Steelers if they offer contract)
2017 cap hit: $540K, dead money: 0
Career-high stats: six receptions, 53 yards, one touchdown 8.8 ypc, 46.2% catch rate (2016)
Last year stats: six receptions, 53 yards, one touchdown 8.8 ypc, 46.2% catch rate
Snaps played:
2016 and Career: 82 offensive, 0 special teams
Why he should make it
Ayers is not only the youngest wide receiver of the group, he is the cheapest. His current cap hit is the lowest, and he can be extended over the next two years at a minimum rookie salary. Ayers hardly played, but he had a huge reception on third down against the Ravens in week 16 and had a key block to spring a run as well. Considering the playoffs were on the line in that game, and every play mattered, those were clutch plays out of Ayers. Ayers also has the ability to return punts. The Steelers have been trying to move on from Antonio Brown as the punt returner, and Ayers has as good of a shot as anyone to take that spot. Returning punts is the easiest way for Ayers to make the roster.
Why he won’t make it
Ayers is an undersized seventh round pick. He is the smallest player of this group, and aside from Cobi Hamilton has the least amount of pedigree. Ayers is the only one of these players with practice squad eligibility, and given how little he saw the field last season, the Steelers could likely get away with moving him to the practice squad for one more season while they figure out what they have in everyone else.
Justin Hunter
Age: 26
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 196 pounds
Contract Status: Through 2017
2017 cap hit: $695K, dead money: $30K
Career-high stats: 28 receptions 498 yards (2014), four touchdowns (2013, 2016), 19.7 ypc, 71% catch rate (2015)
Last year stats: 10 receptions, 189 yards, four touchdowns, 18.9 ypc, 43.5% catch rate
Snaps played:
Career: 1605 offensive, four special teams
2016: 303 offensive, four special teams
Why he should make it
Of all of the players on the roster, Hunter physically resembles Martavis Bryant the most. While we all want to assume that Bryant will put in a full season, it is “believe it when I see it” time for the star receiver. If Bryant goes down, it will have to be Coates or Hunter taking his role. Given that Coates has lost that spot once already, it could very easily be won by Hunter. Four of his ten receptions last season went for touchdowns. Ben Roethlisberger has asked for a tall goal line threat since Plaxico Burress left. Hunter should be able to convert in the red zone more than Cobi Hamilton, who was two-for-eight on red zone targets last season, including two red zone drops in the AFC Championship.
Why he won’t make it
If Martavis Bryant makes the roster, Cobi Hamilton is not getting eight red zone targets, and neither is Justin Hunter. Bryant says he is clean, and if he goes through with training camp, he is essentially everything Hunter never became. Hunter was an early second round pick and many saw him having a career like Bryant’s. However, his lack of care has drawn ire from coaches and has some going to great lengths to try to pull the talent out of Hunter. Add in that of all of the options, he has the least special teams upside and has never played special teams and his roster status may be directly correlated to the status of Bryant.
Cobi Hamilton
Age: 27
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 212 pounds
Contract Status: Exclusive right free agent in 2018
2017 cap hit: $540K, dead money: 0
Career-high stats: 17 receptions, 234 yards, two touchdowns, 21.3 ypc, 60% catch rate
Last year stats: 17 receptions, 234 yards, two touchdowns, 21.3 ypc, 60% catch rate
Snaps Played:
2016 and Career: 384 offensive, 17 special teams
Why he should make it
For how much blame has been passed around for Hamilton dropping two red-zone passes against the Patriots, he still has the best catch rate of anyone in the group. While Hunter was signed mainly because Hamilton could not fill in for Brant, Hamilton still had seven more catches for 45 more yards and a better yards per reception rate than Hunter.
Why he won’t make it
Hamilton is the second oldest, behind Heyward-Bey. He also has the least amount of pedigree, and the least amount invested in him by the Steelers. He hardly provides anything on special teams and is essentially in direct competition with Justin Hunter and Sammie Coates as Bryant insurance. The Steelers gave Hunter more guaranteed money this off-season and Coates is signed on for next season. Hamilton would have to beat them in a runaway to earn a roster spot over them.
Prediction: Darrius Heyward-Bey and Sammie Coates make it, Demarcus Ayers to practice squad
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