Steelers trade for EDGE depth just before the cut-down deadline

The Pittsburgh Steelers made an interesting move when they traded for depth at the edge defender position just before getting to 53 players. 

I’ve been banging the table for a while now that the Pittsburgh Steelers must do something to improve their depth at the edge defender position prior to the start of the 2022 season. Just hours before the final NFL cut-down deadline, Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan put their heads together to pull off a trade for an edge defender.

The Steelers traded with the Denver Broncos for pass rusher, Malik Reed, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. It was later confirmed that Pittsburgh is sending a sixth-round pick in 2023 to Denver, but will be getting the Broncos’ seventh-round pick in return.

To make room for Reed on the roster, the Steelers parted ways with newcomer Hamilcar Rashed. At the moment, it looks like Derrek Tuszka’s job is going to be safe as the fourth edge — probably thanks to his special teams ability.

This trade comes with very little risk attached. Essentially, the Pittsburgh Steelers are receiving an edge defender who is going to make their roster for a late-round pick swap. However, Reed is entering his fourth NFL season and is under contract for just one more year in 2022, so his services might prove to be just a rental for the upcoming season.

In his first three seasons, Reed has combined for 123 tackles, 15.0 sacks, 15 tackles for a loss, and 30 QB hits, according to Pro Football Reference. Because of his production, many fans are very excited about the role he might play in Pittsburgh this year, but I’m not yet convinced this is anything more than just a depth signing.

Steelers didn’t reach for the stars in trade for edge defender

Malik Reed certainly isn’t a star player, and there’s a reason why the Broncos were willing to part with him for a slight improvement in draft position late in next year’s draft. Reed just doesn’t fit the bill of what you want to be anything more than a serviceable backup edge defender.

At 6’1” and 234 pounds, Reed is incredibly undersized, and his 76” wing span and 31 1/4” arms are far less than ideal for a player trying to hold up on the edge. Reed also tested as a very poor athlete, by NFL standards. During his Nevada Pro Day in 2019, he earned a 4.85 40-yard dash to go with a 32.5” vertical and 4.35 20-yard shuttle, via Draftscout.com.

Being a great athlete isn’t everything, but when you combine his poor athletic traits with his lack of size, it’s easy to see how his upside is limited. Additionally, Reed earned just a 55.9 overall grade among NFL edge defenders last season, according to Pro Football Focus. This was good for just 89th among 110 qualifying players at his position.

The good news is that Malik Reed is no stranger to getting after the quarterback. Despite the physical traits he’s working against, Reed has been a relatively productive NFL player with 13.0 sacks coming over the past two seasons.

Reed certainly has that ‘dawg’ in him that Mike Tomlin loves and I think he will be a serviceable edge defender off the bench, but I certainly wouldn’t expect him to make a massive impact on the team this year. He’s just a stop-gap option when there weren’t a lot of options out there.