Wide receiver group has a bit of everything ... but experience ☕

LATROBE, Pa. -- Big ones, small ones, fast ones and a combination of everything in between. The Steelers' wide receiver group this season offers something for everyone.

What they don't have a lot of is experience.

Retooling a group that was built around Antonio Brown into one that features third-year pro JuJu Smith-Schuster has been a big task for the Steelers coaching staff this offseason. Now, a little more than a week into training camp here at Saint Vincent College, things are starting to take shape.

"I like what they're doing. I like the mindset," receivers coach Darryl Drake was telling me before the annual night practice Friday at Latrobe Memorial Stadium. "But we've still got to a ways to go. So far, it's a lot of fun. There's a lot of talent, a lot of determined guys in there. As long as they continue to grow and mesh together and do the things Ben (Roethlisberger) asks them to do, we'll be successful."

One thing that has jumped out at the Steelers is just how good Donte Moncrief can be.

A free-agent acquisition, Moncrief came to the Steelers as a 25-year-old veteran -- he turns 26 early next week -- of five NFL seasons. At 6 feet 2, 216 pounds, he adds a lot of the size to the receiving group. But he also was a 4.4-second, 40-yard dash guy in college. So he brings some speed, as well. His 200 career receptions are the most of any player on the roster, showing just how young the Steelers are at the position.

Moncrief has missed a couple of days of training camp this week with a finger injury, but when he's been on the field in camp and throughout OTAs, he's been a player who has stood out. He and Smith-Schuster sat out Friday night's practice at Latrobe Memorial Stadium, allowing some of the other receivers to shine.

"'Crief looks good," Terrell Edmunds said. "He's really physical and he makes those combat-type catches."

Moncrief and Eli Rogers are the two oldest of the receivers. Because of foot and knee injuries, Rogers, 26, has been limited to just 30 career games. The Steelers brought him back this season after he appeared in three games at the end of the 2018 campaign while recovering from a torn ACL.

The veteran has the trust of Roethlisberger, which is a big feather in his cap. But, considering the number of games he's missed since joining the Steelers as an undrafted rookie out of Louisville in 2015, he knows he has some things to prove.

"To myself first and foremost. But absolutely to the coaches and the organization for them taking a chance and bringing me back and signing me and everything," Rogers said. "I want to prove myself to them."

At 5-foot-10, 187 pounds, he's a stark contrast to the size of Moncrief and Smith-Schuster, who’s listed at 6-foot-1, 215 pounds but might even be heavier than that.

That makes Rogers more the size of third-round draft pick Diontae Johnson (5-10, 183) and third-year pro Ryan Switzer (5-8, 185). And they all have similar skillsets, though the Steelers seem intent on using Johnson as an outside receiver first before teaching him to play in the slot.

With Moncrief out, Johnson, a former Toledo star, has gotten more snaps with Roethlisberger. And he's responded with several nice catches. But he's still learning. Friday night, he suffered a bit of a setback, tweaking his hip on the wet surface at Latrobe Memorial Stadium.

But he's pleased with his progress otherwise.

"It’s feeling really good being out there together. Being in with the 1s and showing them what I’m capable of, it’s allowing me to show them I can retain information," Johnson said. "That’s really been my big focus."

What's some of that information?

How about the hand signals Roethlisberger uses at the line of scrimmage to change a play? That takes some time to learn, but Johnson is progressing well.

"The thing with Ben is he’ll change plays a lot. It’s working on that information," Johnson told me. "I’m still learning them. I’m just trying to get better at that every day."

The plan currently is for Moncrief and James Washington, a second-round pick from 2018, to join Smith-Schuster in the majority of the Steelers' three-receiver sets. But the Steelers also led the league last season in using four-receiver formations. And they also like to mix and match those groupings.

So whoever the starter designate might be won't necessarily matter. There's a lot of playing time available. There's also a lot of targets. Brown averaged 171 targets the past six seasons with the Steelers, including a team-high 168 last year.

But Smith-Schuster wasn't far behind with 166 in his second season. His targets likely won't go up substantially, meaning there will be chances available for the other guys.

"Absolutely, yeah," Rogers said.

But the majority of those could be made up by Moncrief and Washington.

"Whoever is in there, we're counting on them to do their job," Drake said. "We're not going to put them in there unless we're sure they can do that particular job. I feel good with what I see from James. I feel really good about what I see from Moncrief. We'll roll the ball out and when the whistle is blown, we'll see what happens."

Until then, the Steelers will continue to work with them. Offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner said the team will have the entirety of its offense installed by Sunday -- at least the basics. After that, the Steelers will start adding nuances.

But he likes where his receiving corps is at in terms of learning and meshing with Roethlisberger.

"I've enjoyed the way they've worked. And I'm not even talking about in the classroom," Fichtner said. "There's a lot of stuff (to learn). We didn't back down. You're building this library and seeing what you can fit in there. That work with Ben is so important. We've tried to keep him on a plan and giving him scheduled days off. But when he's not out there, he's coaching his (butt) off on the sideline. But this group is soaking it in. I like the group. I really like the group."

Perhaps Drake put it more succinctly.

"One thing you don't do, you don't replace Antonio Brown," he said. "You don't replace the things that he did. But you have room on your team for guys to have different roles and you ask them to do certain things. They've got to be able to do them. Each and every guy that plays can do certain things. It's our job to put them in certain situations where he can flourish. It's his job to take advantage of those opportunities. Those are huge numbers. We don't know where those touchdowns and those things are going to come from, but there will be opportunities for those guys to make those plays. And when they get those chances to make those plays, they've got to do it. It's as simple as that."

MATT SUNDAY GALLERY