Rounding Up Steelers' Rumors, Buzz Surrounding 2024 Training Camp
The Pittsburgh Steelers have been one of the teams most consistently brought up in the Brandon Aiyuk trade rumors.
Aiyuk and the San Francisco 49ers have not come to terms on a new contract and that led to a trade request last week.
Whether or not that trade request gets fulfilled is yet to be determined, but if it is indeed fact, the Steelers need to be in the mix for Aiyuk.
The Steelers enter training camp with George Pickens as their No. 1 wide receiver, but with not a lot of depth behind the burgeoning superstar.
The Steelers' continued quest to improve at the position led to a reported pre-training camp workout of a few players.
Steelers Continue to Mentioned in Brandon Aiyuk Rumors
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The Steelers are going to be mentioned with Brandon Aiyuk until he either gets traded or signs a new deal with the 49ers.
Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio recently reported that the Steelers were one of five teams ready to pay for Aiyuk before the 2024 NFL draft.
Florio noted the 49ers rejected an offer that included a second-round pick from the New England Patriots.
He specifically mentioned the Steelers and Washington Commanders as teams who "were, and potentially, still are" interested in acquiring Aiyuk.
Aiyuk would immediately upgrade the Steelers wide receiver room and give them a strong one-two punch with Pickens that could compete with any of their three foes in the AFC North.
The Steelers currently have Van Jefferson, Roman Wilson and Calvin Austin III on the depth chart behind Pickens.
Jefferson has not consistently produced in the NFL, Wilson is a rookie and Austin carries a lot of potential, but none of them are known quantities as high-volume pass-catchers.
Steelers Work out Three Wide Receivers
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The Steelers brought in Tarik Black, Greg Ward Jr. and Slade Bolden for workouts, per KPRC's Aaron Wilson.
None of those three players are game-changers, but they could provide depth in training camp.
Ward has had the most success of the trio at the NFL level as a depth player and return man for the Philadelphia Eagles.
Black and Bolden have not caught on in the NFL to have any significant totals worth mentioning.
The top four spots on the Steelers depth chart should be set with Pickens, Jefferson, Wilson and Austin.
Quez Watkins, Scotty Miller and a few others would be fighting for the No. 5 spot in that scenario, which would not leave many reps for any of the three wide outs who were worked out.
Ben DiNucci Works Out For Steelers
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Wilson also reported that quarterback Ben DiNucci worked out for the Steelers.
DiNucci gained fame for his spot start for the Dallas Cowboys in 2020. He most recently was on the Denver Broncos practice squad and spent the 2023 XFL season with the Seattle Sea Dragons.
DiNucci is a local Pittsburgh product and he spent the first two years of his collegiate career at Pittsburgh.
He likely does not have a path to the 53-man roster with Russell Wilson, Justin Fields and Kyle Allen in the fold.
John Rhys Plumlee is currently the fourth quarterback. He should get a bulk of the reps in the second half of preseason games.
You can never have too many quarterbacks, especially after last year's wave of injuries across the NFL, so the Steelers should at least have their eyes on other players at the position.
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