Quarterback Aaron Rodgers shrugged off all the record book climbing he did in the Steelers' 34-22 victory Sunday against the Colts. He deflected those milestones as little more than "longevity" statistics, whether it's quarterback wins or touchdown passes.
If Rodgers is going to keep adding to his career ledger, though — at least in the short term — he may have to do so with players he's never thrown to before. At least not in a game setting, but with the Steelers missing three of their six wide receivers they had going into the season opener, the depth is being tested from the 53-man roster to the practice squad.
"It seems like, at this point, it's just in-house options. We've got a talented p-squad group of guys, guys who have played football at the highest level and made plays," Rodgers said Wednesday after practice.
One Steeler who could be more in the mix isn't a wide receiver at all, actually. That would be veteran tight end Robert Tonyan, who earned a spot on the roster with his production in training camp and the preseason.
Tonyan, 32, has only played 14 offensive snaps so far this year. He has a 2-yard reception, which came against the Bengals. But Tonyan goes way back with Rodgers to their Green Bay days, so if he has to step in and play more, he gives the passing game another experienced route-runner.
The same could be said of three wide receivers on the practice squad in Brandon Smith, Brandon Johnson and Isaiah Hodgins. Rodgers acknowledged all three as potential contributors Sunday at Tampa Bay, depending on which way the coaching staff wants to go.
"Obviously, Bobby has played a lot of football and played at the highest level, so I'm sure he'll get more opportunities," Rodgers said. "B. Smith, Brandon Johnson, Isaiah — we'll get some guys who haven't seen a lot of time out there and expect them to play well."
Rodgers knows the history of his down-the-line guys, too. They don't all have quite as much overlap with Rodgers as Tonyan, but the quarterback makes it a point to familiarize himself with teammates past and present.
Smith, 27, was with head coach Mike McCarthy in Dallas initially as an undrafted free agent in 2021. He spent that season and 2022 on the practice squad with the Cowboys. In 2024, Smith signed with the Jets, where he spent that campaign with Rodgers.
Johnson, 28, is in his fourth stint with the Steelers. That's been mostly practice squad duty, but Johnson did catch a 9-yard pass and has five career touchdown receptions, all for the Broncos with four of those coming in 2023.
Hodgins, 27, also spent a couple months on the Steelers practice squad last year before he was signed off of it by the Giants, with whom he has eight career touchdown catches in 39 career games, plus another score in the 2022-23 playoffs. After reuniting with the Giants, Hodgins had 10 receptions for 115 yards and a touchdown.
"I have a lot of trust in those guys," Rodgers said. "I've always been a fan of Brandon Johnson; he had his locker right next to mine last year and we had some great conversations. He's played and played well when he's gotten opportunities. Obviously, I know B. Smith from New York and I'm a big believer in him. And then Isaiah was here with us last year, then went to New York and made a bunch of plays. I like those guys a lot."
Rodgers likes his tight ends, as well, and if the receiver shuffle puts more on their plates, then so be it. The Steelers offense utilized 12 personnel with two tight ends and even 13 personnel with three so often last year, including offensive lineman Spencer Anderson as a tackle-eligible, that it won't be foreign to them if they need to adapt this week under McCarthy.
The Buccaneers and head coach Todd Bowles have the third-highest blitz rate in the NFL so far, trailing only the Vikings and Commanders. Now that it's mid-October, teams aren't seeing as many unscouted looks as they did in the first quarter of the season, but Bowles and his defense present a challenge in that regard.
"Obviously, Todd has a history of bringing a lot of pressures," Rodgers said. "We'll be ready for those. But he brings a lot of stuff you haven't seen before, so, good disguise team, good pressure team. We'll have to pick them up and get the ball out."
