Steelers make intriguing addition to ex-Joe Burrow's weapon

The Pittsburgh Steelers appear to want a lot of competition at the wide receiver position during training camp. Pittsburgh signed several wide receivers this offseason to compete for spots on the depth chart behind George Pickens and Roman Wilson.

There are more than enough bodies to fill the position group, so the training camp battle will be fierce. The Steelers recently made a move that will add an additional player to this busy position battle.

The Pittsburgh Steelers have signed former Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Jaray Jenkins. To make room on the roster, Pittsburgh waived cornerback Luq Barcoo.

Jenkins was an undrafted free agent following the 2023 NFL Draft. The Jaguars signed Jenkins, but they cut him from their roster at the start of training camp. Now the Steelers are giving him another chance.

During the pre-draft process, he measured 6-foot-1, 204 pounds and ran a 40-yard dash in 4.60 seconds.

Jenkins played with Joe Burrow during LSU's 2019 national championship run. He had 89 catches for 1,370 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns during his four years at LSU.

Jenkins joins an extremely crowded position group and will realistically compete for a spot on the practice squad.

The Steelers currently have a large number of players competing at the receiver position behind their established starters. Jenkins' competition includes Calvin Austin III, Scotty Miller, Quez Watkins, Denzel Mims, Dez Fitzpatrick, Marquez Callaway and Duece Watts.

There may be even fewer spots available than usual at wide receiver, given that Cordarrelle Patterson will be on the roster as a return specialist. He should best settle in as an RB3, so he can eat into the target share of receivers in certain packages.

Could the Steelers use Justin Fields in Derrick Henry's role near the goal line?

Steelers fans are also eager to see what happens at quarterback, where Russell Wilson and Justin Fields will compete for a starting job.

Wilson is the presumptive favorite to win the starting job for Week 1, which has led many to speculate about how the Steelers might deploy Fields if they're not at QB. Earlier this offseason, comments from Jaylen Warren suggested that Pittsburgh might let Justin Fields return kicks — although that idea was quickly countered by the team.

However, an ESPN analyst recently suggested that Fields could be used in goal-line situations.

“Arthur Smith, the new OC, used Derrick Henry as a quarterback/passenger when he was at Tennessee to call plays, so why couldn't you use a guy like Fields with his great abilities?” said Jeremy Fowler of ESPN on NFL Live.

It's a fascinating concept. Fields possesses the dual-threat ability to run or pass the ball, but he doesn't possess the same ramming style as Henry.

“Russell Wilson is hands down the number one QB,” Fowler said. “It does not divide the representatives. However, I have spoken to several teams who expect the Steelers to use Justin Fields as a runner and passer at the goal line, think 8 yards and inside.

Even if the Steelers don't use him like Henry, it would be foolish to waste the talents of a dynamic young athlete like Fields.

We can't wait to see how the Steelers use Justin Fields in 2024.