PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers are well aware of the wide receiver issue plaguing their offense right now. With Michael Pittman Jr. and Roman Wilson both on the Injured Reserve, the offense has just two reliable targets for quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Even though the Steelers made the most of things with a gutsy win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 6, the organization knows it cannot continue with this roster of receivers for the remainder of 2026.
Apparently, the organization isn't just sulking over the issue, they are actively trying to address it. According to NFL insider Tom Pelissero, the Steelers are "calling around" to upgrade their wide receiver room. On a recent update on his Substack page, The Sweep with Tom Pelissero, general manager Omar Khan is inquiring around the league, and two names, Jalen Tolbert and KaVontae Turpin, have some immediate ties to Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy.
"Jalen Tolbert and KaVontae Turpin are the two guys with connections to Mike (McCarthy) that are on rosters now and know his offense," he wrote. "But I haven’t heard of anything on either front. I do know the Steelers have been calling around on veteran wide receivers since the injuries last week and I’d imagine that continues with two WR on IR."
Pair of Cowboys Past On the Way to Pittsburgh?
Both of these names are being thrown out there because of their ties to McCarthy, and that makes sense. During his time as the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, both Tolbert and Turpin enjoyed career-best performances.
During the 2024 season, McCarthy's final year in Dallas, Tolbert produced in an anomalistic way. Over 17 games, he hauled in 49 receptions for 610 yards and seven touchdowns.
While Turpin didn't reach the same heights as Tolbert, he still had career-high numbers under McCarthy. During that same 2024 campaign, Turpin 31 receptions for 420 yards and two scores.
Why Neither Truly Solves the Issue for Steelers
It's true that both receivers put up respectable numbers under McCarthy, and expecting either veteran to come to Pittsburgh and be a decent player is reasonable. It's not a guarantee, however.
Tolbert is the perfect example. Outside of his 610-yard season in 2024, he's never exceeded 300 receiving yards in a season. Now in his fifth year in the NFL, his ceiling is concretely set as a bottom-of-the-depth-chart player.
Turpin was slightly more productive after McCarthy's departure. In 2025, he posted just under 400 receiving yards and two more touchdowns. Still, it's the same type of production that Tolbert delivered.
The problem is that it doesn't solve the issue for the Steelers. Depth is wonderful and sorely needed for this injury-riddled squad, but it doesn't solve their problems. If anything, it continues them. Both veterans are solid, unexciting options that would only add to the sea of averageness taking up the Pittsburgh depth chart.
What Options Remain?
If the Steelers are truly trying to upgrade, they have to get creative and accept that it comes with a cost. That remains unlikely to be the case, so low-priced veterans are the route they will go.
But unless the Steelers want to give up a high draft pick to make a deal, they won't be getting that number one or two receiver to strengthen the position.
That leaves players like Tolbert and Turpin. Free agents like Marquez Valdes-Scantling. That leaves practice squad players like KJ Osborn and Xavier Gipson.
The Steelers are looking for receivers, that's certainly clear. It's just a matter of where they are looking that remains to be seen.
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