It has been a busy few weeks of Steelers wide receiver discourse. There have been trade rumors about Josh Downs, Brian Thomas Jr., and Calvin Ridley. There’s been talk about when Roman Wilson and Michael Pittman Jr. can return off of injured reserve. And hey, did you know Brandon Aiyuk is set to be available soon?
But amid all the rumors, the Steelers can’t seem to stop talking about one potential addition to the room: Max Hurleman, who is currently on practice squad injured reserve.
“I mean, how do
you not love Max (Hurleman)?” Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy said Thursday. “As a new coach, new coaching staff, you come in here every day doing everything right. GPS (data), (he) burned it up. I mean, the guy has an incredible workload capacity, work ethic.”
McCarthy said it was unfortunate that Hurleman was injured early in the season, with the receiver landing on practice squad injured reserve on Sept. 19 with what Steelers beat reporter Mark Kaboly recently described as an “undisclosed but suspected leg injury.”
“I felt that (Hurleman) truly performed to a level that he deserved a 53-man roster spot,” McCarthy said. “So, it’ll be great to get him back and get him back into the fold.”
It appears Hurleman could be getting close to a return. On Wednesday, quarterback Aaron Rodgers mentioned the wide receiver when asked about the Steelers getting healthier at the position.
“We’ve obviously raised up a couple of our P-Squad guys who are talented. Still would love to get some
opportunities for Max (Hurleman) at some point whenever he comes off,“ Rodgers told the media. ”We have Marquez (Valdes-Scantling), who hasn’t been brought up yet, so we have a lot of options. But I’m hopeful that we’ll get (Michael Pittman Jr.) and Roman (Wilson) back sooner rather than later.“
Also on Wednesday, McCarthy brought up Hurleman in the same breath as Pittman and Wilson. “We’ve got a group that I’m excited to continue to work with,” the Steelers coach said.
Steelers WR1 DK Metcalf also seems excited for the return of Hurleman, coining the nickname “White Chocolate” for the second-year receiver.
“White Chocolate gonna get y’all some plays, especially when he’s out there on the field, so I’m looking forward to him making his debut,” Metcalf told the media on Thursday. “(Hurleman) has been making plays since his rookie year last year, so definitely looking forward to him being out there.”
Hurleman has yet to play in an NFL regular season game.
“It’s very humbling whenever your name gets brought up,” Hurleman said, per Kaboly. “I’ve been working my tail off every day to come back. To get the recognition, that means a lot, but obviously, there’s a ton of work to do. Haven’t played a game yet, but it’s awesome to hear they trust me and see me as an option.”
Hurleman initially joined the Steelers as an undrafted free agent out of Notre Dame in 2025. He finished his college career in South Bend after four years at Colgate, entering the NFL with experience at running back, wide receiver, cornerback and returner. He’s largely settled into a wide receiver role with the Steelers, where he’s made some highlight plays in recent preseasons.
The 5’11, 200-pound receiver still hasn’t been activated off of practice squad injured reserve, but it appears that the Steelers have some plans for Hurleman once he returns.
