It’s no secret that the Pittsburgh Steelers have been pursuing a receiver addition ever since the offseason, and with the NFL Trade Deadline just over a week away, the Steelers are running out of time to make a move. Appearing on The Pat McAfee Show, ESPN insider Adam Schefter said that the Steelers would “love” to add a receiver and said he thinks that the team would have been interested in Jacksonville Jaguars WR Christian Kirk before he suffered a season-ending injury.
“I think your Steelers would love to add a wide receiver,” Schefter said to Steelers fan Tone Diggz. “But the problem is that every wide receiver, they keep looking at, they wound up getting hurt. Christian Kirk, I think might have been a guy that would’ve been on the Steelers’ radar, and he breaks his collarbone yesterday so he’s no longer a target,” Schefter said.
There aren’t a ton of options left for the Steelers, as Schefter wrote on Saturday that Kirk and Diontae Johnson were the receivers generating the most interest. The Steelers can’t trade for Johnson due to NFL rules, and with Kirk now out for the season, it leaves Pittsburgh with limited options.
One name who could make some measure of sense, especially if the Steelers win tonight, is New York Giants WR Darius Slayton, but his name hasn’t surfaced much since the offseason. Still, if the Giants fall to 2-6, the team could look to sell, and Slayton would be a nice fit for the Steelers. But at this point, it doesn’t look like the Steelers will be making a splash move like it could’ve been had they acquired Brandon Aiyuk, Davante Adams or Cooper Kupp.
While adding another receiver would be nice and bolster Pittsburgh’s offense, it’s no guarantee of success, as we’re seeing with the Giants and Adams. If the Steelers don’t have anyone they think could really be an upgrade at an affordable price, they can stay pat at the deadline and roll with their current receiver options. It’s not the ideal scenario, but the Steelers are 5-2 with their current personnel, although another addition could be important come playoff time.
But after months and months of trade speculation regarding the Steelers and a wide receiver, the team now has just a week and a day to make a trade and add to the room. It could be a busy week with trade discussions, and we’ll see if Pittsburgh can get something done before 4:00 p.m. on November 5.
