3 trades the Steelers didn’t dare make before the deadline
By Austin Lloyd
The NFL trade deadline passed without the Pittsburgh Steelers making a move. Here are three trades they didn’t dare make in 2020.
On both sides of the ball, the Steel City currently possesses one of the deepest teams in the entire league. Due to such a plethora of greatness, other teams are certainly looking for any glimmer of an opportunity to get in on the wealth. And of course, Pittsburgh knows this, so they will not give up a single player without a worthy trade. But who is dynamic enough to hold notable value yet expendable enough that the Steelers could afford to give him up?
One of the most controversial answers available to give is actually one that makes the most sense: running back James Conner. This aforementioned controversy is because of multiple factors, including Conner’s history in the state of Pennsylvania, his attending of the University of Pittsburgh, and even his inspiring cancer survival journey. However, solely from a football standpoint, a trade deal involving his departure is worth humoring.
The main two things to consider when pondering a trade is how you would benefit from the new addition, and how you would adapt if you received practically no addition at all. In other words, imagine how you would do with someone you acquired from a James Conner trade, and then imagine how you would manage with said trade going wrong by your new guy being a major disappointment. If a possible trade deal could help your team in a department that they are lacking in, and if your team could survive just fine without the player that they traded anyway, then it is probably a trade worthy of rolling the dice on.
Objectively speaking, with the running back depth of Benny Snell Jr. and Jaylen Samuels–guided by a stacked offensive line–the Steelers could most likely carry on offensively without James’ abilities. The 2020 Pittsburgh squad has primarily a passing game anyway.
But what players out there are skilled enough to make their respective teams deserving of receiving a powerful back like Conner?