The Pittsburgh Steelers have been linked with a number of potential wide receivers who could be traded this offseason, but with it now June, a trade seems less likely by the day. One of the receivers Pittsburgh has been linked with is Denver Broncos WR Courtland Sutton, a former teammate of Russell Wilson who sat out voluntary team activities in search of a new contract. Sutton is returning for mandatory minicamp this week, and NFL insider Ian Rapoport told KOA Sports in Denver that he would be “surprised” if Sutton got traded.
“There’s a reason that teams almost never trade starting-caliber players this time of year because you can’t replace them,” Rapoport said.
Denver did draft wide receiver Troy Franklin in the fourth round, fueling speculation that he could be a potential Sutton replacement. But in general, the Denver receiving room isn’t all that talented, and they’re going to want to give rookie quarterback Bo Nix as much help as possible. Currently, the Broncos’ receivers consist of Sutton, Josh Reynolds, Marvin Mims Jr., Franklin, the oft-injured Tim Patrick and Lil’Jordan Humphrey as their top options. There was no one comparable to Sutton available for them to acquire, and for a team not expected to be anything special this season, making an effort to replace him wouldn’t make much sense, anyway.
The Steelers might be able to roll with what they have at wide receiver given how Arthur Smith runs his offense, but I think everyone involved in the organization would be a lot more comfortable if they had a legitimate second option at receiver opposite George Pickens. Trading Diontae Johnson helped the Steelers improve at corner with the acquisition of Donte Jackson, but if the receiver room struggles, it’s going to be a risk that didn’t pay off.
The Steelers could still look to continue to add to the room, but it’s likely going to come with players cut by other teams around final roster cuts rather than making a trade for someone who could come in and be an immediate upgrade to the room. Sutton would’ve paired well as someone who played well with Russell Wilson in Denver and who thinks quite highly of him, but a trade just doesn’t seem very likely at all at this point in time.
