There is just over one week until the NFL trade deadline arrives, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are reportedly heavily in the market for a wide receiver.
Names like Jakobi Meyers, Jaylen Waddle, Calvin Ridley and Rashid Shaheed have all been talked about in recent weeks for the Steelers, not to mention Chris Olave, who is unlikely to get moved. Another big fish was added to the market on Saturday with reports that the Jacksonville Jaguars are listening on calls for Brian Thomas Jr.
So, options are there for the Steelers.
But do the Steelers need to swing a trade of wide receiver when they don’t exactly have a huge need for two and three receivers on the field at all times offensively? Add in the fact that Calvin Austin III is returning from injury and second-year pro Roman Wilson is continuing to emerge in recent weeks, and it seems like it would be ill-advised for the Steelers to add another body to the wide receiver room.
That doesn’t mean the Steelers should stand pat at the trade deadline though under GM Omar Khan. Unfortunately, one of the highest-paid defenses in the NFL needs some help. Ultimately, that’s where I think Khan and the Steelers should add outside help at the deadline.
Below are three names I think the Steelers should target ahead of the trade deadline.
1) ALONTAE TAYLOR, CB, SAINTS
After adding three veteran cornerbacks the offseason via trade and free agency, the Steelers still need additional help in the secondary, particularly at cornerback. Darius Slay looks like he’s on his last legs, Jalen Ramsey isn’t the player the Steelers expected from a man coverage perspective, and while Brandin Echols has been a nice find, he’s not a true answer, even if he needs more playing time.
Fortunately, a young player with inside/outside versatility that could find himself available is New Orleans Saints’ cornerback Alontae Taylor.
In the final year of his rookie contract after being selected in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Tennessee, Taylor has been a key piece for the Saints in the secondary. He’s played 418 snaps on the season for the 1-6 Saints, who are allowing 335.7 yards per game defensively.
Though he seems like a piece worth building around in the secondary, the Saints haven’t shown much willingness to talk extension with him. They’ve also drafted two cornerbacks in the last two years. Taylor can play inside and outside and is a versatile piece.
He’s played 1,299 snaps in his career in the slot, and another 1,444 snaps at corner, according to Pro Football Focus. This season, he’s at a near 50/50 split with 201 snaps in the slot and 142 snaps at corner for the Saints. He’s a rental, but one that can handle a role for the Steelers, helping the aging secondary clean up some issues.
Taylor is also only 26 years old, and is a guy that made a lot of sense for the Steelers in the 2022 NFL Draft.
2) TARIQ WOOLEN, CB, SEAHAWKS
Another physical cornerback, though Tariq Woolen is much bigger and longer than Alontae Taylor, and seems to fit more of the “avatar” cornerback mold the Steelers seemed to be trending towards recently with the selections of Joey Porter Jr. and Cory Trice Jr.
Woolen checks in at 6-foot-4, 205 pounds and has long arms that allows him to disrupt receivers in press man coverage. He has a great frame for the position and is a good athlete. He just hasn’t put it all together, and now finds himself in and out of the lineup in Seattle, and seemingly falling out of favor with second-year head coach Mike MacDonald, who calls the defense in Seattle.
Woolen has allowed just 16 receptions on 26 targets for 204 yards and a touchdown, and he has two pass breakups on the season. He’s also played 381 snaps this season, but his coverage grade has plummeted this season, sitting at a 47.5 overall from Pro Football Focus. He has six penalties on the season, and has made some big mistakes early in the season, leading to big plays.
Of course, the Steelers could just sit tight and avoid a trade and wait to activate Trice from Injured Reserve, since he’s another big, long, physical cornerback. But Woolen is in the last year of his rookie contract, too, and is a a good buy-low candidate at the moment.
Maybe a change of scenery could do wonders for him.
3) BILAL NICHOLS, DL, CARDINALS
The Steelers have struggled to stop the run throughout the season, and the depth along the defensive line hasn’t been as good as expected after a busy offseason saw them add some veterans and draft a pair of players. When the Steelers can’t stop the run, the rest of the defense collapses.
So, if they aren’t going to address the secondary to address coverage issues, then the Steelers should dip into the trade market and add another big, experienced body along the defensive line.
Bilal Nichols is a name that I keep coming back to time and time again. I wanted the Steelers to draft him in the 2018 NFL Draft out of Delaware, and then I wanted them to pursue him in free agency multiple times. They never did, so maybe they just don’t have interest. He’s a name that the Steelers hosted for a pre-draft visit back in 2018, so there is some history there.
But with Nichols barely playing as depth in Arizona on a 2-5 Cardinals team, a cheap move could help shore up the Steelers’ defensive line.
Nichols has played just 37 snaps since returning from injury in Week 5, but he has nearly 4,000 career snaps under his belt from his time with the likes of the Chicago Bears, Las Vegas Raiders and now the Cardinals. At 6-foot-4, 313 pounds, he can play up and down the line of scrimmage. He’s not a great run stopper, but adding experienced depth to take some of the pressure off of rookies Derrick Harmon and Yahya Black, and third-year pro Keeanu Benton, could help the Steelers improve their play up front, keeping guys fresh.
Plus, a little added competition never hurt anybody.
