The Pittsburgh Steelers have a pressing need at wide receiver, as the team recently traded George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys, leaving DK Metcalf as the only viable starting option in the position group.
Pittsburgh must find another reliable playmaker sooner rather than later, especially with the Aaron Rodgers’ situation still unsolved. The Draft Network’s Justin Melo urges the Steelers to sign Buffalo Bills free-agent receiver Amari Cooper to help out Metcalf and give their presumed starting quarterback, Rodgers, another weapon.
“The expectation is that future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers will soon join the Steelers. That immediately places them in win-now mode. Rodgers and the Steelers will need a lot more at receiver. The veteran QB would appreciate Cooper’s reliability and catch radius. The initial vision was to pair Metcalf with Pickens, but that was derailed. Cooper would immediately become Metcalf’s top new running mate,” Melo wrote.
Though he is coming off a down year, Cooper still being on the market is a bit shocking. The veteran struggled to find a role in the Bills’ offense after being traded to Buffalo from the Cleveland Browns at last year’s deadline and posted career lows in catches, yards, and touchdowns.
Cooper didn’t play great last season, but a change of scenery in Pittsburgh could lead to a bounce-back campaign for the five-time Pro Bowler. A duo of Metcalf and Cooper would provide the perfect balance of explosiveness and savvy route running and elevate the Steelers’ offense.
Pittsburgh still has nearly $32 million in cap space to work with, which should be plenty of money to sign Cooper. Spotrac projects the former first-round pick will land a two-year deal worth $37.8 million, which averages to $18.9 million annually.
If the Steelers sign Rodgers, their current wide receiver room isn’t going to cut it. Adding Cooper would give the future Hall of Fame signal-caller a dependable security blanket and take a ton of pressure off Metcalf.
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