Pittsburgh Steelers: Breaking down the best upcoming training camp battles

Wide Receiver: Markus Wheaton vs. Emmanuel Sanders

December 23, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (88) reacts after making pass reception for a first down against the Cincinnati Bengals during the third quarter at Heinz Field. The Cincinnati Bengals won 13-10. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Steelers lost Mike Wallace and nearly lost Sanders in the offseason. But being that the team had to give Ben Roethlisberger some weapons, they really had no choice but to match the New England Patriots’ offer sheet for Sanders.

Truthfully I’m a little bit nervous about the possibilities of Sanders and Antonio Brown as the team’s top two receivers, so it would be nice to see Wheaton step up and win the starting job for a couple of reasons.

The first reason: it gives the Steelers a speed threat opposite Brown. Secondly, it would allow Sanders to remain in the slot where he’s pretty effective against mismatches.

Then there’s the fact that the Steelers will likely to be unable to sign Sanders long-term so they could be seeing another Wallace situation play out before their eyes.

At the end of the day though, rookie receivers don’t typically step in and perform at a high level right away, so I give a big edge to Sanders here as he plays for a big money deal elsewhere.

Prediction: Sanders