Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, Dwayne Bowe, Dexter McCluster. All are house hold names in the NFL from the wide receiver position, and all have played under current Pittsburgh Steelers' offensive coordinator Todd Haley.
Haley has been around some great wide receiving groups in his time in the NFL, but Haley considers the Steelers' 2014 wide receivers to be the deepest unit from top to bottom he has every coached. Unfortunately, with that type of depth at a position comes the fact the organization cannot keep all players currently involved with the team's minicamp.
"There are some pretty good football players who probably won’t make the team," Haley told Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "That means you have some good players. Lance Moore is a sharp, smart guy who has picked things up quick. Markus Wheaton and Justin have been here and you can see they have a year under their belt. Those are the two guys I saw during the offseason. They’d be in there working. They have a different confidence level in what they’re doing and what we’re doing."
Some might view the Steelers' wide receiver depth as a concern heading into the season as the only player that has more than eight receptions from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is Antonio Brown. However, that doesn't mean the potential isn't there for players to make an impact.
Lance Moore looks to fill Jerricho Cotchery's shoes as the crafty veteran and red zone threat from the slot, Markus Wheaton will most likely line up opposite Brown as the No. 2 receiver and there is a very intriguing battle for the remaining roster spots among Justin Brown, Derek Moye, Darrius Heyward-Bey and rookie Martavis Bryant.
Although some might say Haley's comments are simply lip service, the Steelers' depth at the receiver position could be a bright spot for a team that lost a lot of talent from the previous year and are searching for answers.