5 best players Steelers could land before the trade deadline

2. Blake Martinez

Linebacker, New York Giants

Often times, good football players look bad when they go to bad football teams. That wasn’t the case for linebacker Blake Martinez. After recording at least 144 tackles in 3 consecutive years for the Green Bay Packers, Martinez is well on his way to doing the same in New York.

Though the Giants just signed him to a sizable 3-year deal this past offseason, perhaps they would be willing to trade him for some draft compensation – especially considering the state of the Giants’ franchise right now.

Martinez is an instinctive football player who can run, hit, and cover. Though Robert Spillane may or may not prove his worth to the Steelers, we know that Martinez is a very good football player. It’s also a bonus that he doesn’t get injured. Blake Martinez has played in every NFL game since 2017 and his numbers over that stretch have been as good as any linebacker in the NFL.

While taking on his salary at approximately $10 million per season could pose a bit of a challenge, the Steelers currently have close to that in cap space available, and one roster move (a restructure or extension) would give them more than enough space to execute this deal. He would be a big difference-maker on Pittsburgh’s defense.