Steelers could bolster their roster with these trades before the deadline

Josh Uche could improve Steelers EDGE depth

One thing that has been desperately lacking since shipping away Melvin Ingram last year is quality edge defender depth. This area has stung particularly hard after T.J. Watt went down in Week 1 against the Bengals with a pectoral injury. Since then, it’s been all Alex Highsmith.

Highsmith has been put in an incredibly tough situation, as he has played more defensive snaps than any other edge defender or defensive lineman in the NFL. This is no doubt due to the atrocious depth the Steelers have at the position. Malik Reed has been abysmal at getting pressure. Though Watt will be returning soon, they could still use a better option off the bench.

Josh Uche is a player the Pittsburgh Steelers really liked coming out of Michigan in 2020. This is probably due to his hybrid size and versatility to move around the defense. Uche is a quality athlete, but he hasn’t been used much by the Patriots this year.

Because of his sparing usage, New England might be willing to ship him to a team for a day-three pick. Uche is still under his contract through the 2023 season. He would give the Steelers some much-needed help at the outside linebacker position and could serve as the primary backup to both Watt and Highsmith following the Week 9 bye.