‘What Were They Expecting?’: Kaboly Questions Kaden Wetjen’s WR Role On 53-Man Roster

When the Pittsburgh Steelers picked Iowa wide receiver and return specialist Kaden Wetjen in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, it raised some concerns considering he didn’t have much production as a receiver and projected as more of a special teams-only piece.

That’s not exactly something you want to spend an early Day 3 pick on, but the Steelers did it anyway to shore up the kick and punt return situations under new coordinator Danny Crossman. Wetjen has to be able to bring more to the table as a receiver though if he wants to stick around.

He showed flashes of that in the preseason opener against the Green Bay Packers, ripping off a 74-yard catch and run and later hauling in a 5-yard touchdown pass from fellow rookie Drew Allar. Despite those two catches, Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy publicly challenged Wetjen leading up to the second preseason game against the New York Jets, stating he needed to clean up some of the mental mistakes and be more than a special teams piece.

Safe to say he didn’t do that last Friday against the Jets. Wetjen played just 14 snaps offensively and didn’t see a target. What made it worse was he had a rough night on special teams with a fumble and a bobbled catch on a punt return deep in his own end. He also took an early kickoff out of the end zone and was tackled inside his own 20-yard line.

That has longtime Steelers reporter Mark Kaboly, who appeared on the No. 1 Cochran Sports Showdown on KDKA Sunday night, questioning how much the Steelers will get out of Wetjen this season.

“What were they expecting? He had no receiving stats at all at Iowa. How are they expecting him to come in here and within a couple months be a viable three, four, or whatever, four or five receiver?” Kaboly said of Wetjen, according to video via the show. “I think that’s just a lack of thought going into this right now. So, yeah, he has to be on the team. He’s gonna play seven snaps a game.

“And that’s what we said four months ago when they drafted him. So that’s where we’re at.”

It’s a tough place to be right now with Wetjen. If we’re being fair and honest, second-year pro Max Hurleman has outplayed him, both as a receiver and in the return game.

Wetjen’s struggles in the return game against the Jets were concerning, especially the ugly fumble and some of his decision-making on punts and the kickoff. He was drafted specifically for his special teams abilities and having a rough night like that won’t do him any favors.

Add that he played just 14 snaps offensively and didn’t see a target, and it’s concerning moving forward.

McCarthy has talked time and time again about needing guys who can handle multiple roles. He’s said that when specifically asked about Wetjen. The rookie has a long way to go as a receiver, but it’s not all that surprising considering his usage at Iowa.