With the 2021 NFL season wrapping up, here is an early look at four potential trade candidates the Steelers should target in 2022.
The Steelers will be a team in transition during the 2022 offseason. The team has plenty of pending free agents as well as the likelihood of Ben Roethlisberger retiring means this team will be looking for some fresh talent to build around. While the team won’t be heavy in trade talks, there are some potential fits that the team should consider.
Here are four early trade candidates for the Steelers in 2022.
Steelers should trade for McGary
The Steelers’ offensive line has been averaging at best this season so far and adding some new faces to block next season will be critical. While the team can and should draft some new linemen early, adding a cheap piece or two elsewhere would also be beneficial. Kaleb McGary has been underwhelming as a former first-round pick, but he would be a cheap addition at tackle for the Steelers at this point.
Rumors swirled this past offseason that the Falcons were looking to trade McGary. While nothing materialized, this offseason they could look to deal him. He will be in the last year of his rookie deal assuming his option year isn’t picked up and the Falcons are very much a team rebuilding. McGary would be a cheap investment that the Steelers could look to start at right tackle next year. He isn’t a perfect player, but he would be a savvy add for a team desperate for offensive line help.
Steelers should trade for Rapp
Another rookie in the final year of his deal next year, Taylor Rapp could be a hot name to attach to the Steelers in 2022. The simple reason for this is that current starter Terrell Edmunds is set to be a free agent and will likely sign elsewhere. This leaves the team extremely thin at strong safety, as the only potential option currently with the team to start would be Karl Joseph, assuming he is signed to the offseason roster after his stint on the practice squad.
Unfortunately, the free-agent names at strong safety aren’t great, so unless the Steelers want to use their top pick on a safety (assuming there was one worth taking) then the team will need a different plan. Taylor Rapp has been an efficient hybrid box safety since being selected in the second round of the 2019 draft. As a run defender and physical threat, the team couldn’t have a better player.
His coverage and contract would be the worst aspects of bringing him in though. He would be in the final year of his rookie deal and since he wasn’t a first-round pick, he would have to be given a new deal after next season. His coverage is the bigger issue though, as he is average at best when asked to cover anyone. That said, for a short-term rental as the team looks for a more permanent strong safety, Rapp would be an intriguing fit and a fine running mate to Minkah Fitzpatrick.
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.
Steelers should trade for Wilson
With Roethlisberger likely hanging it up after this season, the Steelers will be hunting for their new quarterback this offseason. While the most likely option is the team adding a mid-tier veteran, if they wanted to win now trading for a quarterback makes the most sense. There will seemingly be a plethora of viable veterans that are put up on the trade block as well, further making it a possibility that the team lands its next quarterback via a trade.
Of all the names potentially available, Russell Wilson is the most logical option. He is everything that the team wants in a quarterback now and his team is doing bad enough that they may trade him and seek to rebuild this season. If that’s the case and the draft compensation can be worked out, this is a deal that would make a lot of sense.
While the most likely option is a free agent, the team has to at least consider adding Wilson. He can make any throw that the team needs and is still young enough to have five or so optimal years left in him. His contract is expensive, but he would be well worth the cost. Assuming the Seahawks weren’t asking for a slew of draft capital, Wilson has to be the top trade target for the Steelers this offseason.
While the 2021 season hasn’t wrapped up yet, the team has to be thinking long-term with some of the moves they will want to make. While the team won’t pursue every trade, one or two next season could secure some promising talent moving forward. Keep an eye on these four potential trade targets as each would make a lot of sense for the Steelers.