The Pittsburgh Steelers searched high and low all offseason and much of the season leading up to the trade deadline searching for a wide receiver to complement DK Metcalf. GM Omar Khan struck out in that search.
But he might have found an answer on Tuesday on waivers.
The Steelers were awarded 35-year-old wide receiver Adam Thielen off of waivers. Thielen gives Pittsburgh an experienced weapon in the receiver room to try to boost the offense in the passing game. That has stagnated in recent weeks with Aaron Rodgers’ wrist injury and a lack of creative concepts and schemes.
But Thielen could be a nice answer for the Steelers, especially in the quick passing game.
His return to Minnesota this season, in a trade right before the start of the season, didn’t go so well. He had just eight receptions and was a healthy scratch in Week 13, leading to the Vikings waiving him.
Now, he has a shot to turn things around in Pittsburgh. This is a situation where playing time is available, and with an experienced quarterback in Rodgers.
So, what are the Steelers getting in Thielen at this point?
Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but…not much. He’s 35 years old, his average yards per route run is way down, and his average depth of target is down to just 9.4. He’s offering very few yards after catch, too (1.3), which is a big part of the Steelers’ passing game.
That said, he’s a smart, savvy receiver who has had some success in the quick passing game in his career and can be a dependable weapon. Maybe some of his struggles in Minnesota were due to a first-year starter in J.J. McCarthy, and a revolving door with rookie UDFA Max Brosmer and veteran Carson Wentz behind him.
Let’s look at the film.
Last season with the Carolina Panthers, Thielen played well after the trade deadline and finished the year with 48 receptions for 615 yards and five touchdowns. With the Panthers last season, Thielen was asked to work vertically out of the slot and developed a good rapport with quarterback Bryce Young.
He’s not as fast as he once was, but he showed last season he can still make plays downfield.
This was a heck of a play against the Las Vegas Raiders. Working out of the slot here, Thielen runs a version of the Bang Eight route. He pushes outside just a bit before working back inside, splitting the defensive back and the safety. He finishes by making one heck of a play on the ball for the score.
Unfortunately, this was also the play he hurt his hamstring, causing him to miss seven games while on the reserve/injured list.
Once he returned, he played pretty well for the Panthers in the final seven games. Against the Eagles last season, Thielen hauled in a season-high nine receptions for 102 yards. He had a ton of success against the eventual Super Bowl-winning defense.
That’s one heck of an out-and-up move on Cooper DeJean. Thielen wins cleanly and creates serious separation to win vertically down the field.
It’s good to see that is still part of his game, if need be. That’s a fun route to watch from Thielen. He’s a savvy receiver who understands leverage and is technically sound as a route runner, evident in this clip.
After a strong close to the season, Thielen was later traded by the Panthers to the Vikings. That gave him a chance to return home to the franchise he spent the first 10 seasons of his career with, working his way into an All-Pro and a Pro Bowl receiver.
But back in Minnesota, Thielen appeared limited. He wasn’t asked to do much within the Vikings’ offense and only saw work in the quick passing game.
He still showed the ability to win in the quick passing game, though.
Here, against the Steelers in Dublin, Thielen did a nice job of working quickly. He utilizes a natural pick play to win inside, beating former safety Juan Thornhill inside for the quick strike from Carson Wentz.
You can see he still has good footwork and can get in and out of his breaks quickly to win in the short passing game at his age.
Plus, he still has some good hands. Though he’s had some drop issues in limited action in Minnesota, historically, Thielen is going to catch the football. He has just 26 career drops and a 3.6% drop rate, which is pretty impressive.
You can see those hands, the body control, and the toughness on display here against the Atlanta Falcons earlier this year.
It’s not a good throw from the quarterback on the quick out route from Thielen. The ball should have been put on his front shoulder, giving him a chance to catch and turn upfield. Instead, the throw is inside, causing Thielen to have to adjust.
He does a nice job of adjusting and making a good hands catch, all while taking a shot from the defender. He moves the chains in the process, bailing out his young quarterback.
When the Vikings did let him work downfield, he showed the ability to get open and win through contact at the catch point.
Here on the left side of the formation in the slot, Thielen gets a clean release and runs away from the defender, creating room and working himself open on the crossing route.
Again, the throw isn’t the best, allowing the defender to get back into phase against Thielen. The veteran bails out the quarterback, though, making a strong catch downfield for a 19-yard gain.
He’s not a burner, and he’s not going to consistently threaten vertically. But he can win working across the field still, which could bode well in the Steelers’ offense.
Thielen should be able to handle his own as a blocker in the Steelers offense, too. He’s going to give good effort and will put a hat on the right defender to try and help in the run game.
Good rep here against the Chicago Bears in the first week of the season. Though he comes off the cornerback to pick up the safety working downhill, allowing the cornerback to make the tackle, it’s a good example of his willingness as a blocker and his awareness.
He identified the bigger threat and worked off his initial block to get a hat on the safety, giving his running back an opportunity to get to the second level.
Overall, Thielen is a fine chance to take at receiver. He’s 35 years old and isn’t close to being the type of player he once was. But he’s a smart receiver who understands the position at a high level and has shown the ability to thrive in the quick passing game. He should be able to mesh well with Aaron Rodgers, too.
But it’s important not to expect a ton. He’s coming into a new scheme and has to develop chemistry with a new quarterback and find his fit within the offense. With the way the Steelers have struggled in the passing game, though, any addition is welcome. Hopefully Thielen can make some plays with Rodgers and give the offense a decent boost.