Pittsburgh’s flurry of offseason trades and moves might carry extend into the regular season. With the trade deadline looming and the Steelers looking like buyers, ESPN’s Adam Schefter expects GM Omar Khan to join the rest of the AFC North in making a trade before the November 4th. Tucked away in a wide-ranging trade preview column, Schefter offered this nugget on Pittsburgh.
“The only AFC North team that didn’t complete a deal was the first-place Steelers, who are expected to explore upgrading their roster in the weeks ahead of the deadline,” Schefter wrote.
Schefter referenced the numerous trades complete within the division this past week. The Cleveland Browns made two deals, sending QB Joe Flacco to the Cincinnati Bengals and CB Greg Newsome to the Jacksonville Jaguars, the latter agreement bringing back veteran CB Tyson Campbell. Desperate for a quarterback, the Bengals landed on Flacco while the Baltimore Ravens made a defensive starter swap, sending EDGE Odafe Oweh to the Los Angeles Chargers for S Alohi Gilman.
The last trade Pittsburgh made came in late June. A blockbuster that sent FS Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Miami Dolphins for CB Jalen Ramsey and TE Jonnu Smith. The deal also involved late-round 2027 draft picks. So far, the deal has worked out well for Pittsburgh. Ramsey has been an impact player and though Smith has caught mostly short passes, ranks second on the team in receptions and has one touchdown. Fitzpatrick has toiled for a Dolphins’ team who could fire their head coach before the season ends, though he picked off a pass in Week 5.
Schefter doesn’t detail what position the Steelers could target. Wide receiver is an obvious candidate given Pittsburgh’s lack of depth and production behind DK Metcalf, especially now that WR Calvin Austin III is injured and is likely to miss multiple games. Already ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Browns, it’s unlikely he’s cleared in time for Thursday night’s Week 7 game. Pittsburgh signing WR Ke’Shawn Williams to the 53-man roster is a sign of that. Williams will serve as the team’s starting punt returner until Austin returns.
New Orleans’ Chris Olave and Rashid Shadeed are possible candidates. The 1-4 Saints will clearly be selling at the deadline. The Las Vegas Raiders’ Jakobi Meyers and New York Jets’ Allen Lazard could also be on the move. For several seasons, QB Aaron Rodgers and Lazard were teammates in Green Bay. All four names are listed in Schefter’s article as hypothetical candidates. Other receivers listed are the Tennessee Titans’ Tyler Lockett and New Orleans Saints’ Brandin Cooks.
Could Pittsburgh add help at another position? Offensive line depth is always a need and the Steelers are relatively thin, though OG Spencer Anderson has impressed as a tackle-eligible. And adding o-line help this time of year is difficult. Any injuries the team suffers from now until the trade deadline could change Pittsburgh’s outlook, too.
Though GM Omar Khan is on-record with the hope of keeping his 2026 draft picks, Pittsburgh also wants to win now. For a lower-level player, Khan could potentially trade his 2027 draft capital instead. Or a 2026 pick swap in addition to 2027 selections.
Thanks to a 2024 Steelers’ proposal, the NFL trade deadline was pushed back one week to after Week 9. It will come two days after Pittsburgh takes on the Indianapolis Colts, making for a pivotal 48 hours in-between.
