With the NFL trade deadline just days away, it's not surprising to hear rumors swirling. The Pittsburgh Steelers are at the forefront of rumors when it comes to potentially trading for a wide receiver before the 4:00 p.m. ET deadline on November 5.
Since trading Diontae Johnson to the Carolina Panthers during the 2024 offseason, Omar Khan and the front office have been looking for opportunities to bolster their wide receiver room. Despite showing interest in players like Branon Aiyuk and Davante Adams, nothing came to fruition.
With less than a week until the sun sets on the trade deadline, NFL Insider Tony Pauline of Sportskeeda believes the Steelers are eying one of three wide receivers: Darius Slayton, Mike Williams, and Courtland Sutton.
Each player would add depth to Pittsburgh's stagnant WR room, but what type of impact could they have on the team? Let's examine the three rumored options
Darius Slayton, Giants
Of the three names mentioned by Pauline in Steelers trade rumors, Slayton has the most speed to win down the field. This would make for an interesting pairing with Russell Wilson, who has already shown he's not going to shy away from launching moonballs down the sideline.
Slayton put on a clinic with a 100-yard showing against the Steelers on Monday Night Football in Week 8. We know that Mike Tomlin has some recency bias when it comes to evaluating talent, and preferences for players who ball out against his team.
Slayton would be a great fit and would make a ton of sense for Pittsburgh's offense. His speed and ability to win down the field would force teams to play Cover 2 and allow Pittsburgh to feast in the running game.
Mike Williams, Jets
While Mike Williams should be the cheapest option of the group, he's also the least satisfying. Acquiring the veteran wide receiver may not cost more than a late-round pick, but that's because he's the fourth wide receiver on a bad Jets offense and he hasn't done anything notable since the 2022 season.
Williams suffered an ACL injury after just three games in 2023, and it doesn't look like the 6'4'' wide receiver has much gas left in the tank. At his best, Williams would probably be a better version of Van Jefferson this year or what Pittsburgh had in Allen Robinson II last season.
This is a low bar, and because of Williams' inability to create space at the top of his routes and lack of ability after the catch, a low-end WR trade would do nothing more than scratch an itch at the position.
Courtland Sutton, Broncos
Courtland Sutton is the best player of the group with the biggest body of work, but also makes the least amount of sense (at least for the opposing team). With the Broncos sitting on a 5-3 record and firmly in the AFC Wild Card race, it's hard to imagine Denver wanting to part with a quality starting receiver who can help the development of rookie quarterback Bo Nix.
If this is something they are willing to do, the Steelers should be all for a trade. However, a deal for Sutton would be the most costly of the three. Sutton, who hasn't had a 1,000-yard season since his Pro Bowl year in 2019, has been a stable piece to an otherwise struggling offense over the past several seasons.
At 29 years old, the veteran wide-out is on pace for an 800-yard season. Last year, he hauled in 772 yards and 10 touchdowns on just 90 targets. Sutton is still a legitimate WR2 option, but it may take a Day 2 draft pick to get a deal done.