Michael Pittman Jr.’s latest injury update does more than thin out the Pittsburgh Steelers’ receiver room. It turns the trade that brought him to Pittsburgh into a live test of two very different evaluations of the same move.
Pittman is expected to miss multiple weeks with a lingering left foot injury, Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy said Thursday. Pittsburgh listed him as a nonparticipant, and the timing is especially awkward: Pittman will miss Sunday’s game against the Indianapolis Colts, the team that traded him away.
For the Steelers, the problem is immediate and practical. They have to plan for more than one game without a receiver they brought in to help the offense, and they may have to do it without knowing exactly when he’ll be back. Pittman was already unavailable for one game this season because of the same foot issue, and the latest setback adds another layer of uncertainty to a move that was supposed to strengthen the roster.
The on-field production hasn’t given Pittsburgh much cushion. In the three games Pittman has played, he has caught seven passes on 12 targets for 89 yards. He’s averaging just 7.4 yards per target in 2026, and the connection with Aaron Rodgers has been uneven; Rodgers’ quarterback rating when targeting Pittman is only 46.9.
That leaves the Steelers trying to weigh what they gave up for Pittman against what they’ve actually gotten so far. The receiver was also seen using a scooter in the locker room, another sign that this is not a short-term inconvenience.
The Colts’ side of the story looks different. Pittman’s absence against Indianapolis gives the team that traded him away another reason to feel justified in the decision, at least for now. From that angle, the move is being framed as Pittman proving the Colts right in the worst way: not by dominating his new team, but by making availability the central issue.
Pittsburgh’s coverage has been even harsher, calling the trade a costly mistake. That judgment is driven by the same facts the Steelers are now dealing with — the missed game, the multi-week absence, and the lack of production before the injury flared again.
There is still a season left to change the story. But right now, the trade is being judged on two fronts at once: Pittsburgh has to absorb the risk of a receiver who can’t stay on the field, while Indianapolis gets to watch the move through the lens of a player whose health has already interrupted his new team’s plans.