With less than two weeks remaining until the NFL trade deadline, the Pittsburgh Steelers are once again reportedly poking around the market for help. ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler teamed up with analyst Matt Bowen and compiled 25 trade deadline candidates and their team fits. The Steelers were listed three times.
These names should be familiar by now, but they listed Miami Dolphins WR Jaylen Waddle, Las Vegas Raiders WR Jakobi Meyers, and New Orleans Saints WR Chris Olave as potential fits for the Steelers.
Fowler also estimated each of these players’ chances of being dealt ahead of the deadline with the general disclaimer that the players are ranked on the list by the potential value they provide, and not their likelihood of being dealt.
Waddle was given just a 10-percent chance of being traded.
“The team does not plan to trade the player, but interest is there,” Fowler wrote. “Multiple league execs expect the Dolphins’ no-trade stance to stand barring a surprise.”
Even with Miami’s 1-6 record, Waddle is viewed as a building block for the Dolphins’ future. So if they do deal him, expect significant draft capital in return.
Meyers was given a slightly higher but still low chance of getting dealt at 35 percent.
“There’s no consensus leaguewide on exactly what the Raiders will do. Multiple execs told me they believe Las Vegas is open to a deal but is not actively shopping him,” Fowler wrote. “Another, however, believes the Raiders would prefer to wait until after the season to make any sweeping changes.”
Meyers made a trade request just before the season began. He doubled down on that stance just yesterday but admitted he has no control of the situation. He feels like a candidate to get traded but could be quite expensive if he ends up being the top name on the hot WR market.
There should be plenty of competition there, and I don’t know if Omar Khan has the stomach for a bidding war given his strategy to stockpile 2026 draft picks.
Olave was given similarly low chances of being dealt at 20 percent.
“Rival teams caution that the Saints typically aren’t dealing away players,” Fowler wrote.
Kellen Moore is an offensive coach and probably doesn’t want to further gut his offense of talent. Interestingly, Fowler notes that Rashid Shaheed could be a trade candidate if Olave stays put. That might be a more interesting player for the Steelers given the likely asking price.
All three receivers on their top 25 list were linked to the Steelers. This is further confirmation from insiders that the Steelers are looking, but there may be less abundance of names on the market than a year ago.
In their honorable mentions category, Fowler and Bowen listed Tennessee Titans WR Calvin Ridley, Houston Texans WR Christian Kirk, and Baltimore Ravens WR Rashod Bateman. None of the honorable mentions were given chances or quotes like the others, but since all other receivers were linked to the Steelers, they are worth mentioning.
The Ravens wouldn’t deal Bateman within the division, no matter how dumb the Cleveland Browns proved they are with Joe Flacco. Ridley is likely too expensive. But Kirk is somebody the Steelers had interest in a year ago prior to his injury. Maybe he is worth keeping an eye on.
