After losing to the Cincinnati Bengals Thursday night, the Pittsburgh Steelers are 4-2. While they’re still on top of their division, the door is open for another team to take that spot. The Bengals game showed that the Steelers still have a lot of flaws. Their defense had a lot of problems against the Bengals, but their offense hasn’t been perfect, either. Former NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson thinks the Steelers could improve on that side of the ball by trading for Philadelphia Eagles receiver A.J. Brown.
“I’m just throwing that out there,” Johnson said recently on his Nightcap podcast. “Because they’ve always been talking about trades. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. The fact that it was even mentioned, if things don’t turn around for the Philadelphia Eagles, even though they’re winning, I think that’s something that can happen.”
The Eagles are 4-2 and in control of their division. As a result, it doesn’t seem likely that they’d want to move Brown, their No. 1 receiver.
However, the relationship between Brown and the Eagles has seemingly started to deteriorate. This season, Brown hasn’t been as impactful as he has been in years past. The Eagles have been winning games, but they haven’t been utilizing their passing attack to its fullest potential.
Through the first six games of the season, Brown has 25 catches for 274 yards and only one touchdown. That is nowhere close to the standard he’s set for himself. Last season, in 13 games, he had 67 catches for 1,079 yards and seven touchdowns. He also recorded over 1,400 receiving yards in the two seasons prior.
Therefore, the Eagles could move Brown due to his dissatisfaction with his role. He’d be an instant upgrade for the Steelers. Additionally, he’s familiar with a few of their key pieces. Brown and DK Metcalf were teammates in college, and Arthur Smith was Brown’s offensive coordinator for his first two NFL seasons.
That, coupled with Brown’s physicality, would make him a good fit for Pittsburgh. However, making that deal is easier said than done. It’s unclear what the Eagles would want in return for Brown, if they are even open to trading him. Also, after this season, Brown has several years left on a massive deal. The Steelers would be making a big commitment by adding him.
Brown would make the Steelers better. However, there are several factors that could stop that deal from happening. Brown wouldn’t fix the Steelers’ defensive woes, either. While they’d benefit from having another receiver, Brown might be out of the Steelers’ range. They’ve been aggressive this year, though, so perhaps they’ll take another big swing, this time on Brown.
