Steelers sign former Titans/Bills WR Justin Hunter to one-year deal

Stop me if you’ve heard this before, tall, athletic wide receiver that has a problem with his hands is a Steeler. This breaking news was reported by ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Now I don’t know about you, but this could mean a lot of things. Here’s the list of reasons why the Steelers may have signed him.

1. They want more competition at the receiver position
2. It is unlikely the Steelers will draft a WR in this upcoming draft
3. Sammie Coates hand injury was worse than expected or they aren’t very high on him.
4. The Steelers do not trust Martavis Bryant (not saying they do but again, just listing possibilities. Teammates have stood up for Bryant and believe he’s gotten right, we’ll see.)
5. The Steelers have the “Mann” to give this guy the proper coaching and properly develop his untapped potential

Whatever the reason may be, this signing leaves me with both excitement and worry over how the Steelers view their wide receiving corps. They really need that big play threat to take the top off the defense, and while Bryant can be that guy, and Coates showed promise in that role, they can’t afford to not have that luxury.

Ben Roethlisberger is a big play guy and he really benefits from having that guy who stretches the defense. When that element was gone, Ben, while had his moments, you could tell really missed that type of wideout down the stretch.

Can Hunter be that guy? Who knows, but the Steelers would certainly benefit from it.

UPDATE: