Buy, sell or hold.
That’s the decisions that NFL teams are mulling with the trade deadline just 12 days away. For some teams, it’s quite clear what they should be doing, whether that’s buying to go all in for a run at the Super Bowl or selling to punt on the 2023 season, adding some draft capital and trying again next season.
For a bunch of teams though in that middle ground, it’s unclear what to do. Pro Football Focus tried to help out a bit on Thursday though, especially for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Sitting at 3-2 and making a long road trip to the West Coast Sunday to take on the Los Angeles Rams, the Steelers find themselves squarely in the playoff picture, even with plenty of clear issues with the roster.
Knowing that, PFF wants the Steelers to hold come the trade deadline. However, PFF wants the Steelers to explore the options for upgrades to the secondary.
“Pittsburgh should definitely explore adding secondary help, at both cornerback and safety, but otherwise has a roster with solid depth at a lot of spots,” PFF’s Brad Spielberger writes regarding the Steelers’ outlook at the trade deadline. “The return of Diontae Johnson from injured reserve and tight end Pat Freiermuth from a shorter absence can hopefully provide a spark and get this offense back on track, but continued growth from young players is really the key here.”
The Steelers have been keeping an eye on the secondary market, at least in terms of making moves. From signing Darius Rush off the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice squad while moving on from veteran Desmond King II, to bringing in a handful of young cornerbacks for workouts to keep the rolodex updated, the Steelers are doing their due diligence.
Could that translate to a trade before the deadline? That remains to be seen. It’s important to note the Steelers were active last year in that regard, bringing in William Jackson III via trade from the Washington Commanders, though he was never healthy.
Pittsburgh might need some additional help in the secondary this season, especially at cornerback. Levi Wallace and Patrick Peterson have had their fair share of struggles, though one simple solution would be to give rookie second-round pick Joey Porter Jr. more playing time in base defense.
Chandon Sullivan has had issues in the slot, as the Steelers are eighth-worst in the NFL in passing yards allowed per game at 245.6, according to ESPN.com’s NFL stats.
With Rush now in the mix, chances are the Steelers aren’t going to be all that aggressive on the trade market in adding secondary help. Stranger things have happened though, and GM Omar Khan is not against being aggressive. Keeping an eye on the market though and being ready in case something presents itself is a good call from Spielberger though, especially as the Steelers are getting some key pieces back healthy offensively.
