It may be impossible to top what John Stallworth and Lynn Swann did in the 1970s for the Steelers. Both starting wide receivers are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame after playing nine seasons together.
Yet, those were not the glory days of wide receivers for the Steelers. These are those days.
Besides quarterback, wide receiver has been the most successful position on the team. It featured two Super Bowl MVPs in Hines Ward and (XL) and Santonio Holmes (XLIII). Ward set nearly every team record and then along came Antonio Brown to break many of those. Mike Wallace made his mark in a big way for four years, then left in free agency, and Brown stepped right in to fill those shoes and more, leading the NFL last season with 129 receptions and 1,698 yards. It's been one great decade for this position for the Steelers.
DRAFT
Over the past 10 drafts, the Steelers have selected 13 wide receivers and one hybrid. Those include one in the first round (Santonio Holmes, 2006), one in the second and five in the third. They have had some magnificent hits through the draft and a few failures. Their best and most economical was Brown, a sixth-rounder in 2010. They found two good ones in the third round in Wallace and Emmanuel Sanders, and the jury is still out on Markus Wheaton from that round. Holmes turned out to be a good selection in the first round, although not one for longevity with them. Martavis Bryant could turn out to be a steal from last year's fourth round. On the other side, Limas Sweed was a big-time bust in the second round in 2008 and third-rounder Willie Reid never cut it. They list Dri Archer as a WR/RB, and his third-round choice in 2014 does not look like a winner, either.
FREE AGENTS
There have been few free-agent additions of note over the past decade. Cedrick Wilson became their slot receiver for a few years. Antwaan Randle-El re-signed with them to little effect. Jerricho Cotchery probably was the best free-agent signing at the position and became a reliable slot man. Lance Moore had little impact last season. More celebrated were those who left: Wallace, Sanders, Cotchery, Nate Washington and Randle El; all but Cotchery after their first contracts. They also traded Holmes.
Over the past 13 seasons, Steelers receiving records were broken and then shattered again by different men. Antonio Brown may have put those records out of reach last season when he led the NFL with 129 catches -- second most in league history -- for 1,698 yards. But if anyone can top those, it would be Brown.
Rules changes since the 1970s opened up the game more for passing and made it easier to go over the middle and not be roughed up running routes past 5 yards. Regardless, Brown, at just 26, has quickly established himself as one of the best receivers in team history and could be right at the top before he's done.
As a sixth-round draft choice, he already is their greatest bargain since the NFL reduced its draft to seven rounds in 1994, and he could rival some other late-round gems from the 1970s.
Brown follows in the vein of other great and good receivers who have graced the Steelers roster in this century, from Hines Ward and Plaxico Burress to Santonio Holmes, Mike Wallace and Emmanuel Sanders.
Almost as smart as drafting Brown in the sixth round in 2010 was their signing him to a six-year contract in 2012 after Wallace turned down their offer for the final time.
All but Ward and Brown did not receive a second contract from the Steelers (except when Burress returned), but it has not stopped the team from continuing to find good, young receivers who keep flourishing, catching passes from Ben Roethlisberger in a true golden era at the position.
That may include one or two more now on the roster after Brown. The development of two more young receivers in 2014 gives the Steelers a trio that most any NFL team would love to have entering the 2015 season.
Markus Wheaton, becoming a starter in his second season and mostly injury free, caught 53 passes for 644 yards. Rookie Martavis Bryant, after not even being active for the first six games, exploded into the lineup by catching six touchdown passes in his first four games. Bryant finished with 26 receptions for 549 yards, a robust 21.1-yard average, and eight touchdowns. He added five more receptions for 61 yards and a touchdown in the playoff loss to Baltimore.
The Steelers thus go into the 2015 season with one great receiver and two good, young ones. Last season, they signed Lance Moore after the New Orleans Saints cut him to become their slot receiver, but he played only sparingly, catching just 14 passes after Justin Brown beat him out for the job initially. Brown since joined the Buffalo Bills.
Wheaton is the most likely receiver to move into the slot with Brown and Bryant on the outside when the offense uses three.
It's a healthier situation for the Steelers this season at the position than it looked to be entering 2014 after they lost Jerricho Cotchery and Sanders in free agency and had virtually no experience at the position after Brown, except for Moore's with the Saints.
Moore and his $1.5 million salary may be released soon, fulfilling his request. The Steelers will be able to find fourth and fifth receivers at half that price.
Maybe Dri Archer could be one of them. They listed him as a wide receiver/running back all of his rookie season, but hardly threw the ball to him as a wide receiver. He caught just seven passes, most of those operating in the backfield. It's more likely he will remain a hybrid, though, and not be counted on to play as a fourth wideout. Veteran Darrius Heyward-Bey, signed last year to a one-year contract, won't be back this season.
So the only things the Steelers really need to do at receiver is find a few more to fill out the offseason roster and make the team as No. 4 and No. 5 at the position, continue to develop Wheaton and Bryant -- and keep throwing passes to Antonio Brown.
Ed Bouchette: ebouchette@post-gazette.com and Twitter @EdBouchette.
First Published: March 1, 2015, 5:00 a.m.
