Football fans were on the edge of their seat as the final minutes ticked down on the 2026 NFL trade deadline. There were high hopes that Omar Khan and the Pittsburgh Steelers would be actively shopping at the deadline this year. However, the deadline just passed... and Khan has some explaining to do.
As the deadline approached, the Steelers had two obvious roster needs: wide receiver and cornerback.
The receiver position was undoubtedly their biggest. The DK Metcalf trade has proven disastrous a year and a half into his Steelers tenure. There were a few names up for grabs, but Pittsburgh wasn't willing to get aggressive enough to make something happen.
The same goes for the cornerback position. Though Pittsburgh's corners have played solidly in recent weeks, the Joey Porter Jr. trade left them with some obvious depth concerns that they still don't have answers for.
If Asante Samuel Jr. struggles again (like he did early in the year, when he was briefly benched against the Bengals in Week 4), or if the stage proves too big for 22-year-old rookie Daylen Everette when called upon, the Steelers may be wishing they had made a move before the deadline.
The Pittsburgh Steelers were caught in a rough spot at the NFL trade deadline
I want to be fair to Khan: there was no easy answer here. The going rate for quality players at the deadline this year was absurd. And for that, I can't blame him for not selling the farm to get a roster chip now.
On Monday, one day before the deadline, the Jaguars unloaded a 2027 second- and a 2028 fifth-round pick for safety Jessie Bates, only to turn around and surrender a 2027 first- and 2029 second-rounder for defensive tackle Jordan Davis hours later.
Then, on Tuesday, just before the deadline, the Bills gave up a second-round pick to acquire Titans safety Amani Hooker and a fifth-round pick. The Vikings even gave up a third-round pick for a 38-year-old Kirk Cousins on the verge of being benched.
The one that really irked Steelers fans was getting outbid for Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Josh Downs.
Less than an hour before the deadline, news broke that the Kansas City Chiefs had traded a fourth- and fifth-round pick for Downs and a seventh-rounder. This felt like a reasonable gamble for a player who could either re-sign with the team after the 2026 season or give Pittsburgh something toward the comp formula if he walked away after the season.
As it is, Khan was complacent. It doesn't necessarily mean that it's a bad thing. But he will need to explain himself and what went down before the deadline. Steelers fans will want to know why this 'contending' team was content with standing pat.
And it's a fair question, to be honest.
The race for the AFC title might never be more open than it is right now. The Steelers are 6-2. Not only are they pushing for the AFC North crown, but they could be in contention for a conference title game.
The Pittsburgh Steelers didn't make a splash at the deadline. Now we have to hope that they can still compete with more aggressive AFC contenders like the Bills and Jaguars. And we'll also have to hope that the draft capital they cherished at the deadline will eventually be put to good use.
Add us as a preferred source on Google