Buy Or Sell: The Pittsburgh Steelers are one wide receiver like Brandon Aiyuk away from competing for a Super Bowl.
Explanation: One can argue that this is the biggest debate for the Steelers right now. Many insist that they need to trade for a starting wide receiver. There are reports that they very nearly did, and Brandon Aiyuk is the name with the most traction. But are they close enough to a Super Bowl-caliber team that trading for an Aiyuk puts them over the hump?
Buy:
Have you looked at this team lately? The only other missing ingredient is health. The Steelers dealt with injuries to numerous critical players last season, on both sides of the ball. If Diontae Johnson, Pat Freiermuth, Cameron Heyward, Cole Holcomb, and/or Minkah Fitzpatrick stay healthy, even last year’s team looks much better.
And the Steelers have improved considerably in two humungous areas since then: quarterback and offensive coordinator. Put Brandon Aiyuk in this offense with Russell Wilson and Arthur Smith and suddenly we have…what is this, competence?
Lest we forget, this is a new offensive line as well with Broderick Jones, Troy Fautanu, and Zach Frazier. The Steelers will run the ball considerably, but a Brandon Aiyuk gives them infinite flexibility. He is the closest thing to Antonio Brown they will have had since Antonio Brown if they acquire him.
Sell:
Let’s start with the fact that the San Francisco 49ers are better than the Pittsburgh Steelers and they lost. Granted, they did make it to the Super Bowl, and we’re talking about competing for the Super Bowl. But they couldn’t win with Brandon Aiyuk, so how far away are the Steelers? After all, they lost in the Wild Card Round.
I think we also need to address something here: Aiyuk is not franchise-alteringly elite. He is not Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase, CeeDee Lamb and Tyreek Hill. I’m not sure he’s even a Puka Nacua. Granted, he played in an offense that threw the ball the least often in the NFL. But he would be going to an offense that may do the same thing as well, so what’s the point?
Oh yeah, and Heyward is on his last legs even if he has three more to stand on. The secondary is in flux. Will Cameron Sutton even play, and is Donte Jackson any good? How good is Patrick Queen without Roquan Smith? And do you really think an offensive line with two rookies is going to look like the Hogs? There are a lot of question marks on this roster, and Aiyuk only answers one of them.
With the Steelers’ 2023 season in the rearview mirror following a disappointing year that came up short in the playoffs once again, it’s time to start asking more questions. Questions about the team’s future in 2024 and beyond. Questions about The Standard.
The rookie class of a year ago was on the whole impressive, but they need to step up into staple starters in 2024. And they needed a strong influx of talent in both free agency and in the 2024 NFL Draft yet again. In addition to a revisitation of the coaching staff.
These sorts of uncertainties are what I will look to address in our Buy or Sell series. In each installment, I will introduce a topic statement and weigh some of the arguments for either buying it (meaning that you agree with it or expect it to be true) or selling it (meaning you disagree with it or expect it to be false).
