Ever since Diontae Johnson was traded during the first week of free agency back in March, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been in need of a starting wide receiver opposite George Pickens. They have attempted to fill the void with several free agent signings, but most of those players appear to be better suited for a WR3 or slot role rather than a full-time starting role on the outside. The 2024 NFL Draft came and went, and despite some reports that suggested the Steelers were close to executing a trade, nothing ended up coming from them.
The receivers available as free agents right now aren’t going to be needle movers, so an acquisition would need to come via trade. They could also wait until roster cutdowns in September and hope that a suitable veteran becomes available. But could this search span all the way until the trade deadline in the middle of the season?
“I don’t think it’ll happen before training camp,” The Athletic’s Steelers insider Mark Kaboly said on the #1 Cochran Sports Showdown on KDKA. “I think it’s final cuts, maybe potential trades in September and hopefully something works out. I mean, if worse comes to worst, maybe go with what you have right now and wait ’til the trade deadline comes and like, ‘Okay, we really need somebody.'”
Omar Khan has yet to execute an in-season trade in his two seasons as the general manager, but it isn’t completely unprecedented for the Steelers. Here are some notable in-season trade acquisitions that the Steelers have made over the years.
– OT Levi Brown, Week 5, 2013
– S Minkah Fitzpatrick, Week 3, 2019
– TE Nick Vannett, Week 4, 2019
– CB William Jackson III, Week 9, 2022
Aside from Fitzpatrick, who was a home-run trade to transform the defense into a top unit at the time, the other names on this list didn’t work out for various reasons. The Steelers took on what was left of Brown’s five-year, $30 million contract at the time, but he suffered a triceps injury during warmups and never ended up playing a game for the team, for example.
The in-season moves have been rare, but the Steelers have a very competitive and complete starting roster outside of their WR2 right now. They also have two quarterbacks on the last year of their contracts and can’t afford to waste the 2024 season with inadequate weapons surrounding them.
The 2024 NFL Draft served as one critical pressure point where trades are more likely to happen. The June 1 deadline is another notable offseason date in the equation, as teams can spread out dead money after that date. The next-biggest deadline that could spur action will come on Nov. 5. That is one week later than usual after the NFL voted to implement a proposal submitted by the Steelers this offseason.
One of the primary teams linked to a possible WR trade with the Steelers has been the San Francisco 49ers. They have been on the cusp of winning a Super Bowl for multiple seasons now, so it makes sense they would be hesitant to ship away any pieces that might hinder their ability to win now. But if they determine that their WR room has enough talent to move on from a guy like Deebo Samuel in the middle of the season, that could be one of their last chances to extract some value and save some cap space. This hypothetical situation would also mean the Steelers avoid taking on the full 2024 cap hit.
Omar Khan was recently interviewed on 93.7 The Fan, and discussed why they restructured Alex Highsmith’s contract before the draft. He more or less said they wanted to be ready in the event a trade opportunity becoming available. He also expressed that the Steelers are really happy with the trajectory of the WR room right now.
Perhaps they have at least some hope that one of Roman Wilson, Calvin Austin III, or Van Jefferson can seize the WR2 job. If that is the case, then it might make sense to let things play out early in the season. If they deem it to still be an issue, they have all the way until the beginning of Week 10 to make a move.
