Steelers Reuniting Free Agent Wide Receiver With Arthur Smith Makes Perfect Sense

The Pittsburgh Steelers have several positions to upgrade other than quarterback. Both sides of the line need to be addressed as well as cornerback, safety, linebacker and wide receiver. It will be exciting to see how aggressive General Manager Omar Khan is in his second free agency period, but the draft also has some stout prospects coming out of college. Fans can expect the organization to make a few low-profile signings that can help the team in 2024. A big splash isn't out of the question, but historically, simple, inexpensive signings have made the most sense for the franchise.

A few things to pay attention to when it comes to free agency is familiarity. That can be with members of the coaching staff or the team showing interest during the pre-draft process. Offensively, one has to take into account that there is a new offensive coordinator in Arthur Smith. He previously held the same position with the Tennessee Titans in 2019 and 2020 which earned him the shot to be the head coach for the Atlanta Falcons from 2021 to 2023.

After the release of Allen Robinson II on Friday, Pittsburgh will be after wide receivers in both free agency and the draft. George Pickens, Diontae Johnson and Calvin Austin III are the only contributors from 2023 set to be on the roster in 2024. That could change even more if Johnson is dealt. This is where some familiarity comes in and a low-risk signing of a role player who has experience with Smith might be a perfect fit.

Not every signing can be sexy and bringing in a guy like Mack Hollins would be far from earth-shattering. He has had a below average NFL career, but is a phenomenal blocker, which is something Robinson took pride in during his one season in Pittsburgh. Hollins has the ability to contribute on special teams as well after playing 30% of snaps in that area for the Falcons.

Hollins is a huge body at 6'4" and 220 pounds. He can be thrown into any given wide receiver spot and would be a strong number four receiver. A potential draft pick may throw him into the fifth spot, but he's not used to being a top target. He was only looked at 30 times in the passing game in 2023 and ended up catching just 18 passes altogether.

He had a good stretch in 2021 and 2022 with the Miami Dolphins and then Las Vegas Raiders. He caught eight touchdown passes during the two seasons and had a career-high 690 receiving yards with the Raiders in 2022. Hollins was initially drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017 so he also has some familiarity with assistant general manager Andy Weidl.

Hollins got some playoff experience during his rookie season and won a Super Bowl with Philadelphia. He may have only had two catches throughout the entire postseason run, but he's been in a winning locker room. At 30 years old, he can be a veteran presence in the locker room who isn't afraid to do the dirty work on the field to help the offense run the ball down the opposition's throat. Khan would be wise to pick up the phone and give him a call when free agency begins.

Steelers Have Plenty Of Moves To Make At Wide Receiver In Coming Months

Connecting the dots makes Hollins an easy and inexpensive fit in Pittsburgh. The big splash will likely come in the draft, unless the team elects to pursue Tyler Boyd. Someone, however, is probably going to overpay the veteran from the Cincinnati Bengals, and it's not probably that the team electing to do so is the Steelers. Hollins is certainly a name to keep an eye on in the coming days.