Steelers Re-Sign Veteran WR, Adding Competition Before OTAs

The Pittsburgh Steelers are reuniting with a veteran depth piece at wide receiver.

According to KPRC 2 Houston's Aaron Wilson, the Steelers have re-signed Brandon Johnson just days removed from the end of the 2026 NFL Draft.

#Steelers have re-signed wide receiver Brandon Johnson, per a league source. Has 26 career catches, 335 yards, five touchdowns. His cousin is @ochoocinco
— Aaron Wilson (@AaronWilson_NFL) April 27, 2026

Pittsburgh added a number of players at the position in the draft, including Alabama's Germie Bernard, Iowa's Kaden Wetjen and Navy's Eli Heidenreich, but Johnson should see the field during OTAs and brings a veteran presence to the room as well as some familiarity with the organization.

Johnson's History with Steelers

The Steelers signed Johnson to their practice squad in August 2024 after he was cut by the Denver Broncos, and he'd remain there for most of that season. He was elevated for the maximum of three regular season contests, though, and caught one pass for nine yards over 19 total snaps.

Pittsburgh later signed Johnson to a reserve/futures contract in January 2025, but he was waived from injured reserve with an injury settlement last August after suffering a foot injury.

After spending some time on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' practice squad before getting released in December, the Steelers signed him back to their own practice squad and finished out the year with him there.

Former Steelers wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni, who is now holding down that same role with the Las Vegas Raiders, had plenty of positive things to say about Johnson last June after the pair had previously spent time together both at the University of Tennessee and with the Broncos.

“I don’t overlook him because this is the third place I’ve coached him,” Azzanni said. “I recruited him to Tennessee, I got him to Denver, he did the rest there. Helped get him here, thank God they listened to me and brought him here, because he’s a sneaky good player. I’m really excited about where he’s at, he can help us. I’m able to coach him hard, he’s our type of player."

Johnson is fighting an uphill battle to make Pittsburgh's 53-man roster this year with the additions of Bernard, Wetjen and Heidenreich as well as Michael Pittman Jr. earlier in the offseason.

That being said, he is a potential practice squad candidate who has four years of NFL experience and could end up being elevated if the Steelers' wide receiver room is short-handed at any point during the season.

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