4 early trade targets for the Steelers in the 2022 offseason

Steelers should trade for Cooks

A player who has yet to find a stable home, Brandin Cooks could be a hot name next year on the trade block. He has bounced around from team to team seemingly every season, and while he is the Texans’ top weapon at wideout, the odds of them wanting him long-term are slim. They will likely look to shop the speedy veteran this offseason and get whatever they can for him.

That’s where the Steelers should come in though, as what Cooks does well is what the team is lacking. He has burner speed and can make catches deep down the field. The team has struggled there, and while Chase Claypool is a natural deep threat, he lacks that game-breaking speed to be a homerun threat. Cooks has that in spades and would be a great answer for this receiving crew that will likely get a facelift this offseason.

He does carry a hefty 16-million-dollar cap hit as he enters the final year of his deal, but the Steelers should have the space to accommodate and could always give him some voidable years to trim that cap hit if needed. As for compensation to the Texans, it probably wouldn’t be much more than a mid-day three pick. While a good deep threat his inconsistency with teams and high cap hit won’t be appealing to many places. That said, he would fill an instant need for the Steelers in 2022.