Jon Gruden makes emphatic statement about Pittsburgh Steelers' biggest concern

Mike Moraitis

Jon Gruden makes emphatic statement about Pittsburgh Steelers' biggest concern image

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Don't tell former NFL head coach Jon Gruden that the Pittsburgh Steelers have a wide receiver problem.

Gruden recently did a preview of the AFC North ahead of Week 1 and was wax poetic about second-year wideout Roman Wilson, who no doubt showed some flashes in the preseason after a lost rookie campaign.

He also called "b-------" on the idea that the Steelers don't have enough wide receivers outside of DK Metcalf.

"The guy I'm most excited about, and I am nuts, is I freaking love Roman Wilson," he said. "I loved him at Michigan... The guy's a hell of a player. So if they go 11 personnel, you're gonna see Calvin Austin, DK Metcalf, and I think you're gonna see a lot of Roman Wilson.

"And their receiver coach, Zach Azzanni, he's a good friend of mine. He loves this because everybody right now is saying, 'Hey, the Steelers don't have any wideouts.' B-------. Wait until you see Roman Wilson. And I know DK Metcalf, and I know that Calvin Austin used strategically can really be a force," Gruden added.

Pittsburgh spent all of last year trying to add an adequate running mate for George Pickens, but general manager Omar Khan failed miserably. Then, after he finally acquired one in Metcalf this offseason, he turned around and traded Pickens to Dallas.

Now, the Steelers find themselves in the same boat they were in last year, with the team depending on question marks like Wilson and Calvin Austin, among others. And, also like last year, the Steelers are reportedly looking around for help, or at least they were before cutdown day.

We would assume that is still the case, but as we saw last year, that doesn't mean Khan and Co. will adequately address the position.

The good news is, there is at least some hope for Wilson, who showed some big-play ability and consistency in exhibition play with four catches for 96 yards.

Reports suggest the Steelers are very high on Wilson, also, so Gruden isn't alone in his bullish feelings about the Michigan product.

That said, Wilson is still unproven and the Steelers are still in a precarious spot at the position. Even if Wilson does manage to step up and take that leap in Year 2, Pittsburgh remains just an injury away from being in really rough shape.

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Mike Moraitis

Mike Moraitis is a freelance writer who covers the NFL for the Sporting News. Over his nearly two decades covering sports, Mike has also worked for Bleacher Report, USA TODAY and FanSided. He hates writing in the third person.