The Pittsburgh Steelers have long been rumored to be in the market for another wide receiver to bolster their room. Even after a big game from WR Calvin Austin III last night, the Steelers are in the receiver market with a week until the trade deadline, according to NFL insider Tony Pauline.
Pauline listed the Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Chargers as teams interested in adding a receiver and listed three names who could be traded between by now and next Tuesday – Chargers WR Joshua Palmer, Denver Broncos WR Courtland Sutton, and Carolina Panthers WR Diontae Johnson, whom the Steelers cannot acquire.
Of those players, Sutton is far and away the most interesting name. The Chargers would only likely trade Palmer if they acquired another receiver or potentially use him to acquire another receiver, and he hasn’t been all that productive through four years with Los Angeles, although he is coming off back-to-back games with 60-plus receiving yards. I don’t see a good fit between Palmer and the Steelers, however, and he’s not any sort of huge upgrade to Pittsburgh’s receiver room. The fourth-year veteran will be a free agent after this season as well.
Sutton is the far more interesting name. He’s coming off his best performance of the season with eight receptions for 100 yards, and Pauline writes for Sportskeeda that there’s a “50/50 chance” the Broncos trade Sutton.
With Denver a surprising 5-3, it would be a blow to their chances if they did trade Sutton. That’s a potential holdup, and he’s been a guy who QB Bo Nix has targeted often (although he was held without a target in Week 7 against the New Orleans Saints). With Denver prioritizing the development of its rookie QB and also making a surprising push in the AFC, I’d be surprised if the Broncos traded Sutton. Pauline wrote that the team is in “no rush” to give him away and will wait for the right offer.
That last bit of reporting doesn’t make it sound super likely that Sutton will be moved, but a 50/50 chance is pretty high odds. The Broncos might be waiting to see if a team will overpay for a receiver, with the Chargers and Buccaneers also looking to keep their playoff hopes alive. Sutton would be a nice pairing alongside Mike Evans in Tampa Bay after he returns from injury. I don’t think Omar Khan would overpay for Sutton, especially given that he was on the market this offseason and no deal got done, so if the Broncos want a Chase Claypool-esque offer, I don’t think they’d get it from the Steelers.
That leaves Pittsburgh’s options thin, but both WR Van Jefferson and Austin played their best game of the season last night. Pittsburgh’s receiver room still could use some work, but last night at least was encouraging in that other guys were able to step up and show they can contribute. An addition would be nice, and would probably make the Steelers a better team, but it’s by no means a necessity, especially if the Steelers find themselves being asked to give up a Day 2 pick.
