5 veterans the Steelers may trade and what they may get back
By Andrew Falce
What Steelers could get for Ebron
Projected compensation: 2022 6th round pick
As of this writing, there is no player currently on the roster that deserves to be traded more than Eric Ebron. While it doesn’t save the team much in terms of the salary cap, the emergence of Pat Freiermuth and Ebron’s struggles in this offense makes him an obvious trade candidate. The Steelers could give the rookie Freiermuth more playing time and Ebron could get a chance to build up his value before becoming a free agent next season.
Valuating Ebron is a little tricky, as while his 2021 season has been mostly mediocre, his athleticism and track record in the league would make him an attractive option. Low-level names like Ryan Izzo and Josh Oliver netted seventh-round picks while Zach Ertz just recently got a low-level cornerback and a fifth. Despite his name value, one could argue that Ertz is only marginally better than Ebron given his decline.
Thus, the Steelers could likely get a sixth-round pick for the next draft for Ebron. A team would get an athletic receiver for light draft compensation and essentially no cap space taken up while the Steelers get some value back on Ebron and give their talented rookie more playing time. Tight ends still hold some value; thus, the team could get a decent enough pick for Ebron.