On Thursday at Steelers training camp, general manager Omar Khan was asked if the team was in the midst of pursuing a pass catcher for the thin wide receiver room.

“There’s nothing going on right now,” Khan said.

That’s probably accurate only insofar as at the literal moment Khan was answering that question, he wasn’t also simultaneously group texting every other general manager in football wondering who they might have available.

Khan was also specifically asked if the Steelers had contacted the San Francisco 49ers about the availability of receiver Brandon Aiyuk since he recently asked for a trade.

“I have not had any conversations about that,” Khan said.

Again, I hope that’s not true, and it probably isn’t.

Because if Khan, head coach Mike Tomlin, and the rest of the Steelers football operations department think that they are well enough equipped at wide receiver with George Pickens and nothing more than the hodgepodge of free-agent signings, mid-round draft choices, and practice squad candidates that currently inhabit the Steelers receiver depth chart, then they are sorely mistaken.

Forget simply looking for a running partner worthy of being in the starting lineup with Pickens. What will the Steelers do if Pickens suffers a significant injury?

It’s one thing to assume that Russell Wilson is going to have a career renaissance in Pittsburgh. It’s quite another to assume that he can throw the ball to himself and keep the team over .500.

Yeah, yeah, I know. New offensive coordinator Arthur Smith doesn’t run a lot of multi-receiver sets. He prefers to deploy two or three tight ends. He’d rather run than throw.

Sure. But even by the inherent limitations existing for receivers in a Smith offense, the Steelers don’t have enough horses at the position.

• Cameron Heyward practices, Russell Wilson does not on 1st day of Steelers' training camp • Steelers' Justin Fields embraces opportunity to take 1st-team reps with Russell Wilson out • Steelers GM Omar Khan on prospective trade for WR: 'There's nothing ongoing'

Here’s what I think is really happening and what really happened.

After 2023, I think Khan and Tomlin felt Diontae Johnson was becoming problematic and had probably reached his ceiling and his sell-by date. I don’t think they realized how likely it was that Donte Jackson might get cut by the Carolina Panthers, so they traded the players for each other because the sense was it would be easier to replace a No. 2 receiver than it would be to find a different No. 2 cornerback.

Seeing how hard it has been to find a third corner in Pittsburgh, it appears Khan and Tomlin were at least half right.

Where they might have been wrong, though, is assuming that, through the draft, free agency or the trade market, they’d be able to find a capable replacement for Johnson. Certainly, no such option has manifested over the past four months.

Now there are less than two months to go before the start of the regular season and the Steelers are essentially as wide-receiver starved as they were at Easter.

To a degree, I sympathize with Khan. As of now, only the Arizona Cardinals ($86.9 million) and the New England Patriots ($84.3 million) have more cap space available for 2025 than the Steelers ($77.2 million) do.

Theoretically, that sounds great. However, the issue is that the Steelers don’t have a current quarterback on the roster under contract for 2025. Not to mention that Khan seems to want to get contract extensions done for Cameron Heyward and Pat Freiermuth.

Also, T.J. Watt is up after 2025. Minkah Fitzpatrick is done after 2026.

Therefore, next year’s budget for a potential trade-and-sign player such as Aiyuk is a massive unknown, let alone what it will mean for a year or two down the road should the Steelers elect to sign/retain a free-agent QB. So the concept of “just go out and get a guy” is easier said than done.

Especially since disgruntled wideouts such as Tee Higgins (Cincinnati), Courtland Sutton (Denver) and Amari Cooper (Cleveland) have all come to terms or accepted a franchise tag with their current teams.

“We’ve got new quarterbacks working with new receivers and we have three weeks up here to see how they jell,” Khan said. “A new offensive coordinator, new offense. So just to see how all those guys come together and really the whole thing is really exciting to see progress.”

Well, they better see a lot of it. And fast.

The receiver market is running dry. As are Khan’s explanations as to what his team can do about it. So too will the Steelers’ passing game unless some help is added.

It’s up to Khan to figure out a way to fill the hole that has been created by trading Johnson, even if Jackson works out on nicely on defense.

Listen: Tim Benz and Joe Rutter discuss the Steelers’ first day of 2024 training camp and Omar Khan’s press conference.

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