Should the Steelers stand pat at the trade deadline?
The Pittsburgh Steelers have tried to acquire a starting wide receiver for most of the year. In case you haven’t noticed by now, they have failed to acquire one. At this point, with all the trades completed and the injuries to starters, who is even left out there who is available for a reasonable price who could actually help this wide receiver room?
It certainly seems to be getting to the point that we are trying to rearrange the deck chairs. Not on the Titanic, because this is far from a sinking ship, but is adding another wide receiver with the available options just busy work? Can they actually add somebody who would offer much more than what they already have on the practice squad? A bunch of people thought Quez Watkins would make this Steelers roster, but there he sits.
I mean, let’s be honest, how excited are you going to be about Adam Thielen? Who is even worth swapping seventh-round picks for? In terms of depth, the Steelers theoretically get Roman Wilson back in three weeks. And again, they still have Watkins, as well as Brandon Johnson, on the practice squad. They already added their “former pedigreed player” in Andy Isabella, as well.
Now, I’m not saying the Steelers should take the phone off the hook and not even listen to any trade offers. But at this point it’s hard to see any receiver deal done now that will make a difference to the season. We’re mostly talking about other players who are similar to Van Jefferson and Calvin Austin III in contribution level.
We’ve also only seen two weeks of Russell Wilson getting everybody involved, and I think we’ll see a more robust spray of targets in the second half of the season. Even if the Steelers make a move before the trade deadline, I’m afraid it will feel more symbolic than meaningful. But deadlines spur action, and the deadline is approaching, so it’s now or never.
The Steelers’ 2024 season is underway, following another disappointing year ending in a first-round playoff loss. They have had a long offseason since the Buffalo Bills stamped them out of their misery back in January. There are positive signs, but things could jump off the rails any moment.
The biggest question hanging over the team is the quarterback question. Is Russell Wilson earning a lucrative new deal next year, and is Justin Fields still in consideration? How will the team continue to address the depth chart, which is surprisingly still in flux?
The regular season is here, following weeks of camp and preseason games. The Steelers made numerous moves through signings and trade—and release. More than usual, they seemed comfortable creating holes, confident they can fill them. Some they managed to fill, others not so much. Now that we have so many pieces of the puzzle, however, we merely have a new set of questions to ask.
