No question, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been hit hard by the injury bug this season. In Week 1, the Steelers lost a key component to their running game when FB Roosevelt Nix went down to a knee injury.
In Week 2, the Steelers lost their franchise QB Ben Roethlisberger to a right elbow injury. And in Week 6, the Steelers lost their best defensive lineman this year, as DE Stephon Tuitt suffered a torn pectoral muscle.
Adjustments must be made to make up for these major losses.
#Steelers QB Mason Rudolph is knocked out of the game by #Ravens SS Earl Thomas! They removed his face mask but kept helmet on for safety precaution. He seems to be ok. I said this game was going to be filled with brutal hits. #HereWeGo pic.twitter.com/m1WJnodUIM
— Ryan Sakamoto (@BEASTwriter) October 6, 2019
When you combine those key injuries to FS Sean Davis, who was placed on IR with a torn labrum, backup RB Jaylen Samuels, who was lost to arthroscopic knee surgery, newly entrenched starter QB Mason Rudolph, who’s been down and out, going through concussion protocol, and second-year WR James Washington to a shoulder, you can clearly see where the Steelers season was headed.
However, the Steelers have never been known as a team to tank, and despite all those aforementioned losses, the Steelers still believe the AFC North is up for grabs. If the Steelers are to stand a fighting chance, it will be up to the in-house players to elevate their games to another level.
And if all else fails, the team can strike a trade, like they did earlier this year for second-year FS Minkah Fitzpatrick.
#Steelers DE Stephon Tuitt (torn pectoral muscle) ruled OUT for remainder of the year! Huge blow for PIT as he was playing at a first-team All-Pro level, even outshining All-Pro teammate DE Cameron Heyward. The next man-up is DE Tyson Alualu, who played extremely well last nite.
— Ryan Sakamoto (@BEASTwriter) October 15, 2019
The Steelers have a number of needs, but not as many as you would think, coming from a 2-4 team. However, with that being said, I still believe the team must add depth along the defensive line.
Losing Tuitt for the season was huge and left a huge drop-off in production. Sure, the team has 2010 first-round pick (No. 10) DE Tyson Alualu and six-year veteran DE Dan McCullers, but neither one of those players is on Tuitt’s All-Pro level.
And since the team operates from a 3-4 base, it’s imperative to have two-gap players who can simultaneously hold the point of attack but still generate enough pressure in the pass-rush department to push the pocket.
After evaluating all 32 NFL teams, I’ve identified five players, who the Steelers could target as possible trade targets. In a realistic scenario where needs meets value, here’s my take on five undervalued defensive linemen, who will likely test the open-market at season’s end, but who could be had at a fraction of the price in a trade, if all goes well.