PITTSBURGH — The Steelers plan to sign wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, sources told ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Monday.
The move, though it might not happen right away, will reunite Valdes-Scantling with quarterback Aaron Rodgers, whom he played with for four seasons in Green Bay from 2018 to 2021. The wide receiver probably will start out on the Steelers’ practice squad, sources told Fowler, but the team decided to bring him into the fold after a successful workout Monday.
The move adds another depth option to a crew of Steelers wide receivers. DK Metcalf leads the Steelers with 461 receiving yards, 17.1 yards per reception and five receiving touchdowns, but the group behind him hasn’t been consistently productive. Fourth-year receiver Calvin Austin III, who sat out the past two games because of a shoulder injury, has the next most receiving yards among receivers with 167 and two touchdowns.
Roman Wilson, who sat out most of his rookie season because of injuries, is next with 110 receiving yards after leading the team with 74 receiving yards on four catches and a touchdown in the loss to the Packers. The Steelers, instead, have largely relied on their tight ends to replace some of the production in the passing game, and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith has also incorporated running backs Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell as pass catchers.
The addition comes a week before the trade deadline as the Steelers still could consider adding more offensive playmakers.
Valdes-Scantling was most recently rostered by the San Francisco 49ers but was put on injured reserve by the team on Oct. 17 after sitting out practice because of a calf injury. He was then released a day later with an injury settlement. He initially signed to the team’s practice squad on Aug. 28 and was promoted to the active roster on Sept. 3. He appeared in five games and caught four passes on eight targets for 40 yards.
Valdes-Scanting had 13 touchdowns in Green Bay and led the league in 2020 with 20.9 yards per reception. That season also marked a career-high six touchdown receptions for the 2018 fifth-round pick. After Green Bay, Valdes-Scantling spent two seasons in Kansas City, eight games with the New Orleans Saints and six games with the Buffalo Bills.
He initially signed a one-year, $4 million contract — with $3 million guaranteed — with the Seahawks in free agency to be their third receiver and replace some of the firepower lost when the team dealt Metcalf to the Steelers, but others outperformed Valdes-Scantling in training camp leading to his release.
On the other side of the ball, the Steelers are bracing for safety DeShon Elliott to sit out the rest of the season, sources told Fowler. His ACL is intact and he’s working through the nature of the leg injury, so Pittsburgh will hold out hope, but a return is not considered likely at this point.
