The Pittsburgh Steelers have been searching far and wide for a receiver. While it was known the team wanted to acquire WR Cooper Kupp, FOX Sports insider Jay Glazer provided more info about their pursuit of Kupp. After Los Angeles’ win in Week 8, it seems as if Kupp is off the market, but Glazer said the Steelers had interest dating back to a month ago.
“They’ve been calling around. They even called around like a month ago for the Rams trying to get a guy like Cooper Kupp. There’s just not a bunch of huge names. The huge names have kind of already moved out. Amari Cooper, Davante Adams. But there are teams like the Steelers looking for a wide receiver,” Glazer said on FOX NFL Kickoff.
With the Steelers missing out on Adams and Brandon Aiyuk this offseason, Kupp seemed like a logical target when there was smoke about the Rams trading him. But that smoke lasted about two days before the Rams upset the Minnesota Vikings in Week 8, and it seems as if Kupp will now remain in Los Angeles.
That will mean the Steelers have to look to a tier below for wide receiver help. Players that could be available include Darius Slayton and Mike Williams, and both of them could fit well for the Steelers. George Pickens has stepped up in recent weeks for Pittsburgh with Russell Wilson at quarterback, and the wide receiver room as a whole has stepped up, but adding another piece for depth and giving Wilson another weapon is something the Steelers clearly want to do.
The report that they were calling a month ago for Kupp speaks to just how badly the Steelers want to acquire a wide receiver and shows that they were exploring all options, calling on Kupp before it was publicly reported that the Rams were looking to trade him. While that ship has sailed, Omar Khan and the Steelers front office efforts to add another receiver are continuing, and the team very well may come away with someone before Tuesday’s trade deadline.
It should be an interesting few days, and we’ll likely have some more clarity on who is likely to move after today’s games. A Giants win over the Commanders could make it harder to acquire Slayton, but other options like Adam Thielen and Mike Williams are likely to remain on the market. Even though it won’t be a player of Kupp’s caliber, the Steelers sound like they will add a receiver before Tuesday.
