Like a crafty aging pop star, the Pittsburgh Steelers have successfully reinvented themselves in order to stay relevant. No longer are they the Steel Curtain; a dominant defense that beats teams into submission. No, now they rely on their razor sharp offense to secure their victories.
In 2014, the Steelers offense ranked second in yards-per-game (411.1), seventh in points (27.2) and second in passing (301.6). Over the last two seasons, wide receiver Antonio Brown and running back Le'Veon Bell have emerged as arguably the top players at their positions. But Pittsburgh's offensive talent doesn't stop there.
Wide receivers Markus Wheaton and Martavis Bryant are battling it out for the No. 2 spot on the depth chart behind Brown at the moment. That's not even counting rookie Sammie Coates' potential impact. For what it's worth, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger pegged Wheaton as Pittsburgh's breakout player of 2015.
"I think Markus Wheaton is our breakout player of the year," Roethlisberger said on Sirius XM NFL Radio. "I want that. I want him to have that pressure. Because when we're in two wide receivers, he's our No. 2. And we're asking him to play outside. And we go three wide receivers, we ask him to move outside."
This isn't the first time Wheaton has been mentioned as a breakout candidate. The third-year pro caught 53 passes for 644 yards and two touchdowns last year. But before he can fulfill Roethlisberger's prediction, he'll have to beat Bryant out for the job.
Bryant averaged 21 yards per catch last season which would have led the league had he played enough snaps to qualify. He also caught eight touchdowns on just 26 receptions. However, Bryant is currently sidelined after undergoing a minor procedure Sunday to remove an elbow infection. While Steelers head coach mike Tomlin said that he should return "sooner rather than later," there is still a good chance that he misses Sunday's Hall of Fame preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings.
This likely gives Wheaton a jump start on the gig.
