In what I’m sure is the least surprising sentence you’ll read today, the Pittsburgh Steelers were quiet at today’s trade deadline. Staying in-line with Kevin Colbert’s history, they failed to make any moves.
Janoris Jenkins and Gareon Conley, two cornerbacks floated in connection with Pittsburgh, were not dealt. It was unlikely either player was coming to Pittsburgh. Jenkins’ play didn’t match his contract while Conley wouldn’t have helped in the short-term and it sounded like the Oakland Raiders wanted to hold onto him. Any rumors about the Steelers have legitimate interest in either player or making calls to other clubs were entirely unfounded.
However, it was an active trade day for the rest of the league. Field Yates tweeted out all the moves that went down prior to the deadline.
The only AFC North move made was the Ravens trading for RB/WR Ty Montgomery, who fell out of favor in Green Bay after fielding the kickoff out of the end zone, fumbling, and not allowing Aaron Rodgers to comeback and beat the LA Rams. Even on a short week, Montgomery could play 5-10 snaps against Pittsburgh.
The Steelers do play the Jaguars and Broncos in consecutive weeks meaning they won’t see Dante Fowler or Demaryius Thomas. A minor note but good news nonetheless.
Le’Veon Bell also wasn’t traded, an impossibility given that he never reported and signed his tender. Those rumors have calmed down in recent weeks, making this nothing more than a footnote.
While it might be frustrating to see the Steelers stand pat, the reality is none of the moves out there made enough sense. A player simply being better than what you already have isn’t compelling enough. It has to make sense financially and value wise.
So for the rest of the season, the Steelers will attempt to settle down their RCB situation. It’s unclear if Artie Burns will be part of the rotation going forward, if Coty Sensabaugh will permanently hold down that job, or if Cam Sutton can get into the mix. The Ravens game should tell us a lot.
