Steelers named logical landing spot for 5-time Pro Bowler who could replace George Pickens
Sure, the Steelers traded for DK Metcalf earlier this offseason, but the team had a need at wide receiver before that move.
The trade for Jonnu Smith definitely helps Pittsburgh's lackluster group of pass-catchers, but the wide receivers room remains shaky, at best.
Roman Wilson, Robert Woods and Calvin Austin are all in line for significant roles, yet Wilson is unproven, Woods is on the down side of his career, and Austin has just one season of decent production (548 yards in 2024).
Adding a veteran in free agency would be the move this team needs.
As far as which veteran they should go after, Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox suggests Amari Cooper.
"Cooper would be a sensible target for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who are going all-in on the 2025 season with quarterback Aaron Rodgers," Knox explained. "Pittsburgh acquired wideout DK Metcalf early in the offseason but also traded receiver George Pickens after the draft."
Cooper is coming off a down season in 2024, which has led to fears about a possible decline as he enters a season in which he's 31 years old.
However, in the year prior, Cooper posted a career-high 1,250 yards, so he isn't that far removed from great production.
So, what happened in 2024 that led to Cooper tallying a career-low 547 yards?
In his defense, he did have bad quarterback play while with the Cleveland Browns, who had a struggling Deshaun Watson as their starter for all six games Cooper appeared in with the Browns.
Then, Cooper had to acclimate to a new offense after being traded to the Buffalo Bills. He also suffered a wrist injury in Week 8 that needed surgery, but Cooper declined to get it, according to general manager Brandon Beane.
With the Steelers clearly going for it in 2025, they should bring Cooper in to give their offense, which was the weakest link in 2024, a better chance to succeed.
Even if he is a bit diminished, he'd still offer an upgrade for Pittsburgh and would be a perfect fit opposite Metcalf on the outside. That would also put less pressure on Austin and Wilson and would alleviate the need to depend on Woods.
MORE PITTSBURGH STEELERS NEWS
Steelers draft prediction adds QB with 12% chance to be No. 1 pick
Steelers' chances of trading for McLaurin or Jennings are slim
Cam Heyward lands shockingly high in PFSN's top-100 list
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
CC Sabathia's car breaks down on way to Cooperstown for Baseball Hall of Fame induction
CC Sabathia's 19-year Major League ride toward baseball's Hall of Fame appears to have been a smoother one than the actual drive he made to Cooperstown for this weekend's induction. Heading to Cooperstown with his family for Sunday's festivities, Sabathia's car apparently broke down on the side of the highway, leaving the New York Yankees great and his family temporarily stranded. Sabathia posted a photo (with laughing emojis) on X, formerly Twitter, of himself, his wife Amber and their children on July 24 at 8:22 p.m. Sabathia posted the words: 'Car broke down on the way to Cooperstown. Anyone headed that way?' The road sign in the photo showed Route 17 West in upstate New York. Sabathia later posted at 11:02 p.m. that he and his family made it to Cooperstown: And on Friday, July 25 at 10:47 a.m., Sabathia posted a photo of the Cooperstown grounds where he will be speaking Sunday: This article originally appeared on CC Sabathia car breaks down on way to Cooperstown for Hall of Fame induction
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
First image of Christian Gonzalez facing Stefon Diggs at Patriots camp
The New England Patriots showed off the first image of All-Pro cornerback Christian Gonzalez lining up against four-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Stefon Diggs in a social media post on Thursday. Gonzalez admitted earlier in the week that he was excited to match up against Diggs in practice. Iron sharpens iron, as the saying goes. Gonzalez is on the rise as one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL, and Diggs is looking to climb back into the elite tier of wide receivers, following an ACL injury last October. Before the injury, Diggs was coming off six straight 1,000-yard receiving seasons. There's hope that he can get back to that same level in New England. One way for Diggs to test himself is frequent head-to-head matchups against one of the top corners in the game. Gonzalez recently made ESPN's top-10 cornerbacks list, which polled votes from executives, coaches and NFL scouts around the league. The former Oregon standout landed at No. 6 in the rankings with one NFL assistant comparing him to the No. 1 player on the list, Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II. "I think Gonzo is the next great one," a veteran NFL assistant said, via ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. "Skills, patience, length. He's the closest thing to Pat [Surtain II]. Smooth, big athlete, travels a lot, can matchup against the best guy." Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook. This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: First image of Christian Gonzalez facing Stefon Diggs at Patriots camp
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Detroit Red Wings 2025-26 Betting Outlook
Exploring betting options for the Red Wings ahead of the 2025-26 season. The 2025-26 NHL season draws closer and closer with sportsbooks starting to roll out seasonal bets that fans can ride for a majority of the season. These kind of bets are known as futures and can be something like if a certain player will win an award like the Hart or if a team like the Red Wings will make the playoffs. There's several betting options for the Red Wings early on that fans may want to look at. We can further explore what's needed to make the bet hit and hopefully win fans some extra cash if they feel confident. NHL Insider Says Red Wings Leading Race to Land Penguins' Rust Insider reports indicate the Red Wings being the top contender to land Penguins winger Bryan Rust. Red Wings to Make the Playoffs (+240 - $10 Bet Wins $24 Profit, $34 Total) We broke down in a recent story what is needed for the Red Wings to make the postseason. We can say with a level of certainity that they likely won't occupy a top three spot in the Atlantic Division as perennial contenders in the Toronto Maple Leafs, Tampa Bay Lightning and back-to-back Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers will likely finish ahead of them. This means they'll need to secure a wild card spot and during the 2023–24 season, Detroit finished with 91 points and missed the playoffs by a single point. Over the past decade, 95 points has consistently been the number that gives teams a reliable shot at a wild-card spot. This means anywhere between 45 to 48 wins will be required with some extra time losses included. It is certainly doable as Tankathon has the Red Wings listed with the third-easiest schedule this upcoming season. Bookmark The Hockey News Detroit Red Wings team site to stay connected to the latest news, game-day coverage, and player features. John Gibson to Win Vezina trophy (+25000 - $10 Bet Wins $2,500 Profit, $2,510 Total) This one is a bit of a reach as the field of goaltenders now is truly elite with several contenders that could win the award every season in Winnipeg's Connor Hellebuyck, New York's Igor Shesterkin and Tampa Bay's Andrei Vasilevskiy. Recent Vezina winners from the past decade have mainly averaged a goals against average under 2.30 and finished with a save percentage above .920 with league placements typically landing in the top three or needing to lead the league in one of the two categories to win. An example of this is Connor Hellebuyck's 2023-24 season, when he posted a 2.39 GAA with a top three save percentage at .921 and the second most wins at 37 on the season. Gibson has hit close to these numbers before with his 2015-16 season, when he finished with a league-best 2.07 goals against average and a .920 save percentage through 40 apperances. He has finished with a goals against average under 2.30 twice but finished with a save percentage above .920 three times, which means if he can pull it all together, it's possible. In a defensive Todd McLellan system, who knows the potential upside for Gibson. Todd McLellan to Win Jack Adams Award (+2500 - $10 Bet Wins $250 Profit, $260 Total) This one requires slightly more than the playoff bet as the Red Wings are desperately looking to snap their nine-year playoff drought and with a top two or three divisional seed, it could win McLellan the award for the turnaround. Detroit has been right on the verge of having a big season like when they came just a point short of making the postseason in 2024. If McLellan can massively improve the Wings like he has with several other teams like his early years in San Jose and LA, he could find his way into an award win. Comparing Yzerman's GM Work in Detroit Versus Tampa Bay Examining Steve Yzerman's work as Red Wings GM compared to to his time with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Never miss a story by adding us to your Google News favorites!
