5 veterans the Steelers may trade and what they may get back
By Andrew Falce
What the Steelers could get for Haden
Projected compensation: 2023 6th round pick
Joe Haden has one of the trickiest valuations on the team right now. While cornerbacks hold some decent value on the backend as relative unknowns will get traded for late-round picks often, the higher-end guys don’t possess much value. This was evident when the Panthers got veteran Stephon Gilmore for a mere sixth-round pick.
Haden isn’t the corner he once was, and with the veteran in the final year of his deal, it would make sense for the Steelers to move on from him. His skills are continuing to decline, but he could add a stable veteran presence to any depth chart. The Cowboys come to mind as a potential fit, as their defense, while improved, could still use some pieces in the secondary.
At the end of the day, I think the Steelers could net a sixth-round pick next year for the veteran. That way, his trade is less expensive than the Gilmore trade but more valuable than the other low-level guys that net seventh-round picks. The Steelers would both clear cap space and acquire draft capital through a trade like this. With the team not likely to make the playoffs, a move like this makes a lot of sense.
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With the NFL trade deadline quickly approaching, the Steelers need to act fast to acquire some draft picks for players not offering much value to the team. While the team certainly won’t trade all five of these players, anything should be on the table. These valuations for these five potential trade candidates could yield the team some additional picks in the 2022 draft class.