The Pittsburgh Steelers are stuck in a rut, and it’s possible that the organization could look to add talent before the NFL trade deadline.
The Week 7 loss to the Miami Dolphins was huge. If this team were sitting at 3-4 right now (as opposed to their current 2-5 record) making a play for a veteran who could help them get in the playoff hunt would have been much easier to justify. However, the Pittsburgh Steelers are backed against the corner, and they won’t be willing to go down without a fight.
Though most rational fans know that this team isn’t going to compete for a playoff spot this year, it may not stop Mike Tomlin and the front office from making present-minded moves and parting with some future draft capital in order to improve their roster just before the NFL trade deadline.
I want the record to show that I am not in favor of this line of thinking. I believe that the window has closed for Pittsburgh and they should be making more proactive moves with the future state of the team in mind. However, that just typically isn’t how they do business. If the team is to trade for players who could help improve their roster before the deadline, here are some of the players rumored to be on the trade block and who they could potentially target:
Steelers could trade for CB William Jackson
Going into the season, the Steelers had shaky cornerback depth, and the strength of their starting unit was in question. These concerns proved to be warranted, as role players like Levi Wallace and Arthur Maulet have been disastrous in coverage this year. On top of this, Pittsburgh has dealt with injuries at the cornerback position as early as Week 3.
While it’s naive to believe that a veteran cornerback will be enough to shift the tides on the Steelers season, I can see them going after CB help before the deadline. One player who could be traded is Washington CB, William Jackson. If you recall, the Steelers were reportedly infatuated with Jackson during the 2016 NFL Draft, but when he was taken one pick ahead of them in the first round, they opted for Artie Burns.
Jackson has been in a bit of a slump and isn’t having his best season with the Commanders. However, the Steelers could desperately use help at boundary cornerback, and Jackson offers more speed than anyone they currently have at the position. Meanwhile, Ahkello Witherspoon has missed multiple games with a pretty severe hamstring injury.
Jackson has a very manageable base salary and he would almost immediately be thrust into a starting role in Pittsburgh. At the cost of a late-round pick, acquiring his services could be tempting to a team with struggling cornerbacks.
Steelers could solve future LB problem with Shaq Thompson
While Devin Bush has certainly played better than he did last year, it’s still hard to make the case that he’s anything more than just a serviceable starting linebacker. Bush still routinely gets washed out of plays and is often late to react. As a result, he currently ranks near the bottom of the league among 79 qualifying linebackers this year, according to Pro Football Focus.
Even if he plays lights-out from here on out, there’s nothing short of the franchise tag that could stop him from signing with another team during the 2023 offseason (and I’m certain the Steelers won’t want to go that route). Meanwhile, Myles Jack has been solid, but unspectacular. For this reason, I could see the team trading for a player who is rumored to be on the block like LB Shaq Thompson.
Thompson is 28 years old, but he has proven to be one of the better linebackers in the NFL for years now. He offers fantastic run support and is well-rounded enough to make plays all over the field. Trading for Thompson would give the Steelers the flexibility to rotate three linebackers on and off the field, and they wouldn’t be forced to pigeonhole Robert Spillane as a third-down coverage linebacker.
Thompson’s guaranteed money has already been paid by Carolina, so his cap numbers become more manageable. He’s also under contract for the 2023 season and could be an option for the next few seasons until the Steelers find a true long-term replacement at the position. The Panthers are selling the house, and I could see Pittsburgh calling about him.
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.
Clelin Ferrell could be a chess piece for the Steelers
It’s not often that a former 4th overall pick becomes available for trade while still on his rookie contract, but thanks to the emergence of Maxx Crosby, the Las Vegas Raiders might make Clelin Ferrell available for trade. As mentioned, the Steelers could use a massive boost in depth at edge defender, but Ferrell could be more than just that.
With the Raiders, Ferrell does much of his work on the interior defensive line. At 6’4” and 265 pounds, the Steelers could play him on the edge in base run downs and kick him inside to offer more speed and mobility in passing situations. This would allow Pittsburgh to go with a lighter, quicker lineup on third downs.
Ferrell has never come close to living up to his former draft status, but he’s still a quality player with good versatility and quality run defense. Ferrell is on the last year of his rookie contract and is set to hit the market in 2023, but at just 25 years old, Pittsburgh could elect to offer him a contract extension following the 2022 season if they like what they see.
Again, I am not in favor of the Steelers trading valuable draft capital in an effort to keep their head above water this season. I would rather them work on building a roster for the future. However, we have seen Pittsburgh make here-and-now moves like this in the past, and I wouldn’t put it past them to make a trade like one of these before the November 1st trade deadline.