With the Steelers on their bye week and the trading deadline approaching, here are five veterans the team may deal and what they could get for them in a trade.
While calmer than most other sports trade deadlines, the NFL still can see some top talent depart midway through the year around this time. While never overly active, the Steelers should be players this season.
While a 3-3 record heading into their bye week looks ok on paper, this team is struggling on offense and feels like a long shot to be even in the playoff conversation. With that said, here are five players the Steelers could trade at the deadline and what they could realistically net the team.
What Steelers could get for Witherspoon
Projected compensation: 2023 7th round pick
One of the more curious moves this offseason, the Steelers sent the Seahawks a fifth-round pick late in the offseason to acquire Ahkello Witherspoon. Despite the fact that the Seahawks had signed him in the offseason, he appeared to have already fallen out of favor with the team. He hasn’t done much better so far in 2021, as he has only been active for two games and has played four defensive snaps, giving up a long touchdown on one of those snaps.
No, the Steelers aren’t going to get the value back that they invested in Witherspoon but dealing him does two things. For starters, it gets them some sort of guaranteed value back for the veteran. At this point, he will likely be playing for the minimum next year, so the odds that he qualifies for a compensatory pick seems unlikely.
As well, the Steelers essentially lost a fifth-round compensatory pick when they acquired him. Trading him doesn’t instantly get that projected pick back, but it would help in that process. With Witherspoon doing next to nothing on this roster, the team has to try and flip him at the deadline for whatever they can get. It would be for next to nothing, but at least the team could wash their hands of this mistake.
What Steelers could get for Okorafor
Projected compensation: 2022 5th round pick
The Steelers trading away Chukwuma Okorafor would be contingent on the health of rookie Dan Moore Jr., but assuming he is ok to play after the bye week, one has to think his roster spot is in question. While Okorafor has been far from great as a starter, the fact of the matter remains that offensive linemen have an immense amount of value in the league. Teams regularly send backups for sixth and seventh-round picks. Okorafor is more than that.
While he has had his struggles, Okorafor can still start for a team in a pinch. As well, he could fill in as a swing tackle for a team if need be. A contending team that is weak at tackle could add a new face in Okorafor and get a small boost to their line. As for the Steelers, they would rely on the returning Zach Banner at right tackle while Joe Haeg would reprise his job as the swing tackle.
I think a fifth-round pick would be a safe value, and a desperate team could send as high as a fourth if the situation was perfect. Assuming Moore is good to go, that would be a hard offer to turn down. The Steelers could turn them soon-to-be backup tackle into a valuable draft pick next year. It’s a move that they should be looking into at this point.
What Steelers could get for Wormley
Projected compensation: 2023 5th round pick
Chris Wormley has quietly had one of the best and most consistent seasons for the team so far. Stepping in for an injured Stephon Tuitt, Wormley has been stout against the run and has been a threat to get after the quarterback. While he only has half a sack, PFF has him graded at a 77.6 with him playing 69 percent of the defensive snaps so far.
This all said, Tuitt should be back sooner than later at this point, and the team is deep behind him along the defensive line. Isaiahh Loudermilk is slowly developing while Carlos Davis (another name that should be back after the bye week) and Isaiah Buggs can contribute at defensive end. With the team a long shot to make the playoffs, it may be time to sell Wormley while his value is high.
His valuation is a tricky one. His play, cheap contract, and age make him valuable, but the league hasn’t seen many huge trades involve interior linemen. Thus, I have the Steelers netting a fifth-round pick next year if they were to deal him. While some would argue that isn’t worth it considering how Wormley is playing, the team may be wise to trade their players in a year that the playoffs seem so unlikely.
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.
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.
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.