Trades the Steelers need to be making during the 2020 season

Denzel Perryman

Denzel Perryman has been a consistent and solid ILB for the Chargers over the past few seasons, but his role with the team has diminished thanks to rookie Kenneth Murray taking over the starting role. While his time with the Chargers is likely coming to a close, he would make a lot of sense to add to the Steelers. His athleticism and playstyle would be an upgrade over Vince Williams during passing downs.

All of this isn’t to say Williams has been horrible, he hasn’t. He is a great two down LB, one that can both stop the run and sack the QB. While those skills are valuable, he is a weak link in coverage. While Perryman is far from elite in that category, he is superior to Williams. If added, he would likely take Williams’s place during passing downs. This would strengthen the coverage unit overall and could pay dividends when faced against more potent passing teams.

As for compensation, I can’t imagine it will be much. The Chargers are barely playing him, and his contract expires this year. A late-round pick should do the trick, or perhaps they could do a player swap and send a TE or DB to swap for Perryman. While adding him won’t fix all of the issues on the defense, it should be a cheap upgrade to the coverage ability of the LBs.