This offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers made a couple splashy moves in a bid to contend once again.
First, the team traded for star wide receiver D.K. Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks. Metcalf should give the team the true No. 1, elite target its been missing for years now.
Then, the team signed Aaron Rodgers to be the quarterback after Russell Wilson and Justin Fields both largely failed to impress in 2024 and went on to sign elsewhere this offseason.
The combination of Rodgers and Metcalf is exciting, but it’s fair to wonder if the team still needs another pass-catcher or two. George Pickens figured to be a solid running mate for Metcalf, but the mercurial receiver was shipped to the Dallas Cowboys in May.
There are still a few solid veteran options available in free agency, though, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Steelers bring one in. Ethan Woodie of NFL Trade Rumors believes Gabriel Davis would be an interesting fit in Pittsburgh.
Davis had a productive four-year stretch to begin his career with the Buffalo Bills and was a playoff hero in 2021 when he caught 10 passes for 242 yards and five scores that postseason.
However, Davis signed with the Jaguars ahead of the 2024 season, and never carried that production over to his new team. As a result, the team moved on from the veteran this offseason and he continues to await his next opportunity.
Regarding Davis and the Steelers, Woodie offered the following:
Still, Pittsburgh doesn’t seem content with its depth chart. They’ve been calling around other teams, seeing if they’d be open for a trade. There was some smoke around the Steelers trading for Miami TE Jonnu Smith, though that’s died down. Reportedly, the Steelers are lowballing teams in their offers, indicating they aren’t willing to pony up much in the way of assets or they aren’t as committed to adding to their depth chart as they seem.
Regardless, relying on Woods and Austin as two-thirds of your starting depth chart at receiver is a gamble for a team like the Steelers with significant expectations in 2025. Davis is free to sign, they wouldn’t need to give up assets for him and he’d give Pittsburgh another option on the outside. His skillset is a bit redundant with Metcalf in the fold, but at this point, they just need some quality depth.
As Woodie mentioned, it’s probably not wise to rely on Robert Woods and Calvin Austin III as starters in 2025. Sure, Metcalf will garner much of the attention, but a reliable WR2 is crucial to a team’s success.
In 2024, Davis played in 10 games and caught just 20 passes for 239 yards and two touchdowns. That was by far the worst production of Davis’ career and he’s put up solid WR2 numbers in the past.
In both 2022 and 2023, Davis caught at least 45 passes and gained at least 740 yards, with seven touchdowns in both seasons. With a true WR1 in front of him and a future Hall of Fame quarterback throwing him the ball, it’s not hard to imagine Davis succeeded in Pittsburgh.
Over the Cap projects the Steelers to have around $18 million in remaining cap space, so adding a player like Davis shouldn’t be a problem. If a deal is reached, Davis could start opposite Metcalf while Austin handles slot duties.
