You would be correct if it seems like the wide receivers for the Pittsburgh Steelers haven’t produced much in the slot the past two seasons. In 2022 and 2023, Chase Claypool, Gunner Olszewski, Steven Sims, Allen Robinson II, and Calvin Austin III have been the top five slot wideouts.
The outcome? They haven’t been heavy. really light. Pulling the data makes that narrative very evident. Here is each team’s slot productivity from wide receivers (not tight ends) over the past two seasons, courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
Credit to Dave Bryan and Ross McCorkle performing the difficult labour and putting together the data and chart.
The Steelers had bottom-five results in every category. Here’s how Pittsburgh fared by category:
Their 27th-place target was their “best” score. They were in the bottom five in everything else, which included actually catching the ball. In four categories, they were last or close to last.
Pittsburgh produced less in 2023 than in 2022, even after acquiring Allen Robinson II and gaining Calvin Austin III back after the latter missed his rookie season. The Steelers this season finished bottom in the league in terms of yards (497), yards after catch (165), touchdowns (one), and catches (42).
Due to a lack of other receivers to throw to and the skill of George Pickens and Diontae Johnson, the Steelers rely heavily on their outside receivers in their passing game.
To be fair, TE Before his 2023 campaign was hindered by injuries, Pat Freiermuth was productive in 2022. However, a number of teams near the top of this list had productive tight ends and slot wide receivers. Jake Ferguson, a wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys, caught 71 catches in 2023. The Kansas City Chiefs received a lot of slot production even with Travis Kelce in the lineup, but the Buffalo Bills throw to their tight ends more than anyone else. Although the link isn’t perfect, there seems to be a little trendline towards teams with featured tight ends diminishing slot receiver productivity. The Chicago Bears (Cole Kmet) and Baltimore Ravens (Mark Andrews) are also close to the bottom with Pittsburgh. However, the Steelers outthrew the Ravens by almost a hundred yards, and To be fair, TE Before his 2023 campaign was hindered by injuries, Pat Freiermuth was productive in 2022. However, a number of teams near the top of this list had productive tight ends and slot wide receivers. Jake Ferguson, a wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys, caught 71 catches in 2023. The Kansas City Chiefs received a lot of slot production even with Travis Kelce in the lineup, but the Buffalo Bills throw to their tight ends more than anyone else. Although the link isn’t perfect, there seems to be a little trendline towards teams with featured tight ends diminishing slot receiver productivity. The Chicago Bears (Cole Kmet) and Baltimore Ravens (Mark Andrews) are also close to the bottom with Pittsburgh. However, the Steelers outthrew the Ravens by almost a hundred yards, and obtaining Robinson as the Rams released (part of) Austin’s pay and recovering him from a rookie foot ailment. Robinson performed his duties as a seasoned player, blocking and making possession-down receptions with ease. However, his finest days are long gone, and it is impossible for him to have an effect beyond five yards. This season, only 26.4% of his receptions resulted in first downs, compared to 62.7% for Johnson and 72.5 percent for Pickens.
What about Austin? His impact was barely noticeable when he stunned the Las Vegas Raiders in Week Three with a 72-yard score. Although Austin only caught five passes over the Steelers’ final 13 games, logging more rushes than receptions, Johnson’s recovery from his hamstring injury was a key.