The Pittsburgh Steelers have not looked pretty this year. No one’s debating that. They have warts.. And a lot of them.. All over. But there is one that is, if not the most impactful, the most glaringly obvious.
And that would be their wide receiver depth. Specifically, the fact that they have had next to no production from their WRs apart from off-season trade addition D.K. Metcalf, who himself is having a down year by his lofty Pro Bowl standards.
The Steelers have targeted their wide receivers 147 times this year. That’s the lowest in the NFL by some margin.
QB Aaron Rodgers and OC Arthur Smith clearly don’t believe in this group. But the claiming off waivers of veteran Adam Thielen could change that.
Thielen will face weak competition from Steelers’ WR room
Adam Thielen is two years removed from a 1,000-yard season with the Carolina Panthers. But after being traded back to the Minnesota Vikings in August, Thielen has barely played this year.
This, despite the fact that Minnesota was desperate for the type of security blanket receiver Thielen has become. And that’s what he could be at his new home in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers have a bonafide WR1 in D.K. Metcalf, but not much behind him. Remember those 147 WR targets Pittsburgh has? Metcalf has 75 of those, or over 50 percent.
That means Thielen could have a breezy stroll into the WR2 role. We know head coach Mike Tomlin loves himself a savvy veteran. Tomlin loves consistency and reliability. And if Thielen isn’t those things, he’s not anything. Not to mention that the HC and Thielen have already been bonding over their shared love of Minnesota.
New #Steelers WR Adam Thielen at practice today with HC Mike Tomlin.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) December 3, 2025
Tomlin: “I absolutely loved my time in Minnesota.”
Tomlin was the Vikings’ DC in 2006.
(🎥 @CassidyWoodTV) pic.twitter.com/wvBEDZ4lX1 https://t.co/t7ClKEmyfE
But it’s not just Tomlin. Aaron Rodgers is the same. He loves experience in his teammates, especially his pass-catchers. And he has his “guys”. He had Davante Adams and Allen Lazard with the Jets, and he fed them as many targets as they could handle.
Off the field, Rodgers and Thielen actually have an extensive relationship despite their former NFC North rivalry. What you might even call a friendship.
They play golf often, and one would think that the time they’ve spent together would translate to some chemistry on the field. Thielen could be the type of familiar presence Rodgers has been looking for behind Metcalf.
Keep an eye on the Steelers as a possible landing spot for Adam Thielen. He and Aaron Rodgers have been friends for years, after playing golf together in the American Century Championship, and have talked about playing football together. They could finish their careers together…
— Ben Goessling (@BenGoessling) December 2, 2025
To top it all off, no other receivers have shown they can step up in the Steel City. 2024 third-round pick Roman Wilson has been on the field only sporadically. Ben Skowronek is a special-teamer.
Calvin Austin III has caught just 43 percent of his targets (a team low), and has recorded only 278 receiving yards. That’s the fewest in the NFL among WR2s apart from the Ravens, Browns, and Jets.
Thielen is 35, but he hasn’t played much this year. He will be spry. He’s got a few big weeks in him over the next month, and that should make him Rodgers’ second-favorite (if not favorite) target in December. At least among the WRs.