Does Adrian Peterson or John Brown Make Sense for Steelers?

PITTSBURGH -- It does, but it doesn't make sense for the Pittsburgh Steelers to reach out for veteran pieces at running back and wide receiver.

In recent days, the Steelers have been linked to wide receiver John Brown and running back Adrian Peterson. Both are names most NFL teams would love to add to their locker room, who have named Pittsburgh as potential landing spots.

"It depends on who needs a receiver," Brown said on Sirius XM radio's 'Morning Drive' when asked about his next team. "Definitely the Pittsburgh Steelers. Big Ben is definitely good with the deep ball."

Adrian Peterson expressed interest in playing for the Steelers. That would be a great idea (if he takes $1M). He can be a short-yardage guy but more importantly, he could bring veteran leadership to an awfully young room that will get younger after the draft.
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) March 13, 2021

Should the Steelers approach either of the two veterans? Well, despite Peterson being one of the most dominant running backs in NFL history, signing a 36-year-old to play a compliment isn't the right direction for Pittsburgh.

The Steelers need veteran leadership, and if they draft another running back this offseason, their room is going to be young - maybe too young. But Peterson's role won't do much on the field. The Steelers like what they've seen from Benny Snell Jr., and if they plan to continue working with him in the offense, Peterson doesn't make sense.

At this point in his career, the seven-time Pro Bowler is a bruising running back. So is Snell. The Steelers don't need both.

When it comes to Brown, it's a matter of fit. Ben Roethlisberger does like to throw the deep ball, but the Steelers are adjusting back to "normal" offensive football in 2021.

"Will we adjust immediately? No," Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said about making a complete conversion into Matt Canada's offense. "I know Coach Tomlin will do what our players can do the best under Coach Canada's offense and the schematics that he puts together. And over time I think we can adjust. But right out the gate, I think it is hard to make those types of adjustments."

So, how much of the deep ball will really be there? If anything, the Steelers are likely to start adding some end-arounds and more unique passing schemes to their offense before launching it deep more times than not.

Pittsburgh needs a slot receiver. If Brown is comfortable coming in and playing in the middle of the field, then this could work. If he's not, there are other options that fit the Steelers' needs better.

Noah Strackbein is a Publisher with AllSteelers. Follow Noah on Twitter @NoahStrack, and AllSteelers @si_steelers.