Of all the ways the Steelers could address the receiving corps, adding Michael Thomas shouldn't be one of them.
I'm not against the idea of reclamation projects. It can and has worked before. But, Thomas hasn’t played a full season of football since 2019, and that’s due to injuries and off-the-field issues.
Thomas missed time with a high ankle sprain in 2020, missed all of 2021 after ankle surgery, all but three weeks of 2022 with a foot injury and seven games in 2023 with a knee injury. He also got into a fight with a teammate in 2020 and was arrested for battery last season.
Pro Football Focus projects Thomas to get a one-year, $6-million contract. To me, that's just not worth the risk. That money can be better allocated. $6 million isn't a lot in today's NFL, but there are better options, especially in the trade market. Yes, those options are worth significantly more money, but also would be better, more secure investments.
Thomas is immensely talented. He's a guy who's twice been first team All-Pro and a three-time Pro Bowler. He led the NFL in receptions twice, yards once and was Offensive Player of the Year in 2019. He's earned and deserved all the accolades.
But, he's logged only 95 catches for 1,057 yards and four touchdowns in 20 games over the past four seasons. And, the folks at PFF have him on a steady decline since his monster 2019 season, in which he earned a 90.4 grade. Since then, PFF has given him grades of 85.2, 77.3 and 67.4 over his three most recent seasons, respectively.
Rumor is the Steelers have at least checked on Thomas. Maybe they are willing to take a chance on a guy who was once the very best at his craft. And, there's no denying the Steelers need to add more firepower to their receiver room, especially given the toughness of their 2024 schedule.
But, I would be very wary of adding Thomas to the mix, unless it's for a significantly small amount of money. The best course of action at this point might be waiting until after June 1 when teams can save cap space on cutting or trading players, then re-engage in the trade market.
