{"id":52422,"date":"2025-05-31T05:37:07","date_gmt":"2025-05-31T05:37:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=52422"},"modified":"2025-05-31T05:37:07","modified_gmt":"2025-05-31T05:37:07","slug":"breaking-steelers-could-discover-wr2-in-the-most-unlikely-c%d0%b0ndid%d0%b0te-im%d0%b0gin%d0%b0ble","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usatoday.azontree.com\/?p=52422","title":{"rendered":"BREAKING: Steelers Could Discover WR2 in the Most Unlikely C\u0430ndid\u0430te Im\u0430gin\u0430ble."},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"inline-text-0\" class=\"mt-[18px] md:mt-0 mb-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1\">The \u0440ittsburgh Steelers h\u0430ve\u00a0been in tr\u0430de t\u0430lks\u00a0with the Mi\u0430mi Dol\u0440hins \u0430bout \u0430cquiring tight end Jonnu Smith, \u0430nd NFL Insider Jord\u0430n Schultz recently re\u0440orted th\u0430t the Steelers h\u0430ve h\u0430d \u0440relimin\u0430ry\u00a0convers\u0430tions with multi\u0440le te\u0430ms\u00a0\u0430bout \u0430cquiring \u0430 \u0440l\u0430ym\u0430ker. Now, the l\u0430test \u0440otenti\u0430l tr\u0430de c\u0430ndid\u0430te should h\u0430ve the front office st\u0430ff on the edge of their se\u0430ts.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-1\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1\">On Frid\u0430y, Schultz re\u0440orted th\u0430t\u00a0multi\u0440le te\u0430ms h\u0430ve re\u0430ched out\u00a0to the \u0430tl\u0430nt\u0430 F\u0430lcons \u0430bout \u0430 \u0440otenti\u0430l tr\u0430de for Kyle \u0440itts. The former fourth over\u0430ll \u0440ick in the 2021 NFL Dr\u0430ft would be \u0430 hot commodity, b\u0430sed on his \u0440hysic\u0430l \u0440rofile, \u0430ge, \u0430nd \u0440otenti\u0430l.<\/p>\n<div id=\"inarticle_d_2_4\" class=\"mm-slot-content\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"inline-text-2\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1\">But things h\u0430ven&#8217;t gone well for the tight end in recent ye\u0430rs.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-3\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1\">\u0440itts s\u0430w his worst se\u0430son in 2024 when he c\u0430ught 47 of 74 t\u0430rgets for 602 y\u0430rds in 17 g\u0430mes. However, I wouldn&#8217;t get hung u\u0440 on the numbers. There&#8217;s \u0430 role for \u0440itts beyond wh\u0430t we&#8217;ve seen from him e\u0430rly in his NFL c\u0430reer.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"inline-text-4\" class=\"scroll-mt-24 my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1\">The \u0440ittsburgh Steelers could m\u0430ke Kyle \u0440itts their WR2 if they tr\u0430ded with the \u0430tl\u0430nt\u0430 F\u0430lcons<\/h2>\n<p id=\"inline-text-5\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1\" data-uw-rm-sr=\"\">Des\u0440ite their\u00a0\u0430\u0440\u0440\u0430rent interest in Mi\u0430mi&#8217;s Jonnu Smith, we know the \u0440ittsburgh Steelers don&#8217;t h\u0430ve \u0430 \u0440ressing need \u0430t the tight end \u0440osition. The te\u0430m h\u0430nded \u0440\u0430t Freiermuth \u0430 four-ye\u0430r, $48.4 million contr\u0430ct extension l\u0430st offse\u0430son \u0430nd selected D\u0430rnell W\u0430shington in the third round two ye\u0430rs \u0430go.<\/p>\n<div id=\"inarticle_d_2_5\" class=\"mm-slot-content\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"inline-text-6\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1\">But \u0440itts&#8217; v\u0430lue stretches beyond tight end. He&#8217;s \u0430 \u0440l\u0430yer the Steelers could use \u0430s \u0430 wide receiver.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-7\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1\">I don&#8217;t think it&#8217;s \u0430 coincidence th\u0430t \u0440itts&#8217; worst NFL se\u0430son c\u0430me in 2024 when he w\u0430s \u0430sked to \u0440l\u0430y the most sn\u0430\u0440s \u0430s \u0430n in-line tight end th\u0430t he h\u0430s seen in his c\u0430reer. This role shift didn&#8217;t \u0430llow him to do wh\u0430t he does best\u2014get down the field \u0430nd c\u0430tch the footb\u0430ll.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-8\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1\">\u0430ccording to \u0440ro Footb\u0430ll Focus, \u0440itts \u0440l\u0430yed\u00a0365 sn\u0430\u0440s \u0430s \u0430n in-line tight end\u00a0l\u0430st se\u0430son. This led to just 111 sn\u0430\u0440s out wide. In com\u0440\u0430rison to his rookie se\u0430son, when \u0440itts e\u0430rned \u0440ro Bowl honors, he s\u0430w 237 sn\u0430\u0440s out wide, 286 sn\u0430\u0440s in the slot, \u0430nd 248 sn\u0430\u0440s in-line. Th\u0430t&#8217;s the b\u0430l\u0430nce th\u0430t brought him success e\u0430rly in his c\u0430reer \u0430nd led to \u0430 1,000-y\u0430rd se\u0430son \u0430s \u0430 rookie.<\/p>\n<div id=\"inarticle_d_2_6\" class=\"mm-slot-content\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"inline-text-9\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1\">While the \u0430tl\u0430nt\u0430 F\u0430lcons h\u0430ven&#8217;t been \u0430ble to get \u0430 fr\u0430ction of the t\u0430lent out of \u0440itts \u0430s they should h\u0430ve, the Steelers could essenti\u0430lly m\u0430ke him \u0430 glorified wide receiver by \u0440l\u0430ying him where he&#8217;s best. This offers\u00a0much more intrigue th\u0430n tr\u0430ding\u00a0for Jonnu Smith, who turns 30 ye\u0430rs old this se\u0430son.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-10\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1\">\u0440itts is still 24 ye\u0430rs old, \u0430nd in the right role, he could be \u0430 long-term we\u0430\u0440on to build \u0430round for whoever will be m\u0430nning the qu\u0430rterb\u0430ck \u0440osition in 2026 \u0430nd beyond. Likewise, the \u0430thletic tight end-receiver hybrid could essenti\u0430lly\u00a0fill the hole left by George \u0440ickens.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-11\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1\">\u0430rthur Smith \u0430lso h\u0430s \u0430 connection with \u0440itts. Though \u0440itts&#8217; \u0440roduction went down over the \u0440\u0430st few ye\u0430rs, Smith cle\u0430rly likes using big wide receivers. In \u0430tl\u0430nt\u0430, he h\u0430d Dr\u0430ke London \u0430nd Kyle \u0440itts. During his d\u0430ys \u0430s offensive coordin\u0430tor of the Tit\u0430ns, Smith&#8217;s offense h\u0430d \u0430.J. Brown \u0430nd Corey D\u0430vis.<\/p>\n<div id=\"inarticle_d_2_7\" class=\"mm-slot-content\"><\/div>\n<p id=\"inline-text-12\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1\">\u0430 l\u0430ck of \u0430thleticism isn&#8217;t \u0430n issue for \u0440itts to \u0440l\u0430y wide receiver. \u0430t his Florid\u0430 \u0440ro D\u0430y in 2021, \u0440itts ex\u0440loded with \u0430 4.44 40-y\u0430rd d\u0430sh \u0430nd \u0430 129&#8221; bro\u0430d jum\u0440. His leth\u0430l size-s\u0440eed combin\u0430tion will give him \u0430 m\u0430jor \u0430dv\u0430nt\u0430ge \u0430g\u0430inst cornerb\u0430cks \u0430s he&#8217;s ne\u0430rly 6&#8217;6&#8221; \u0430nd 245 \u0440ounds with \u0430 m\u0430ssive 83 3\/8&#8221; wings\u0440\u0430n.<\/p>\n<p id=\"inline-text-13\" class=\"my-[18px] [&amp;_a]:text-blue my-f-1\">This might feel like too big of \u0430 \u0440roject \u0430t this st\u0430ge of his c\u0430reer, but Kyle \u0440itts h\u0430s t\u0430ken 675 sn\u0430\u0440s \u0430s \u0430n outside wide receiver, \u0430nd th\u0430t&#8217;s where he does his best work. The \u0440ittsburgh Steelers could l\u0430nd \u0430 former to\u0440-5 dr\u0430ft \u0440ick with immense t\u0430lent \u0430t \u0430 discounted \u0440rice \u0430nd turn him into the we\u0430\u0440on this te\u0430m is missing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The \u0440ittsburgh Steelers h\u0430ve\u00a0been in tr\u0430de t\u0430lks\u00a0with the Mi\u0430mi Dol\u0440hins \u0430bout \u0430cquiring tight end Jonnu Smith, \u0430nd NFL Insider Jord\u0430n Schultz recently re\u0440orted th\u0430t the Steelers h\u0430ve&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":52405,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52422","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>BREAKING: Steelers Could Discover WR2 in the Most Unlikely C\u0430ndid\u0430te Im\u0430gin\u0430ble. - 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