In spite of the depth that is available to them, it is not guaranteed that the Pittsburgh Steelers are actually going to carry six wide receivers this year. Now, is it more likely than not that they will? Probably. But let’s remember that, other than in recent years, it was just as common for them to carry four receivers as it was six.
What changed? One could argue that it was because they had a special teams standout like Darrius Heyward-Bey. Whether you care for the concept or not, Head Coach Mike Tomlin and the coaching staff put a lot of value on players whom they consider ‘starters’ on special teams.