Just a couple of months ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers were in a season-opener shootout with the New York Jets. Now, the rest of the NFL is in a shootout to pick up the remaining pieces on the Jets’ 1-7 roster after they traded Sauce Gardner to the Indianapolis Colts.
The Jets may not be a well-run organization and once again have one of the worst records in the NFL. But there’s no denying that they have some incredibly talented players who are caught in a bad situation. Gardner was at the top of that list, so if the Jets were willing to trade him, there a plenty of other names teams around the league will be interested in trading for, including the Steelers.
Pittsburgh doesn’t have long to make a move, and if the Jets are actually committed to a fire sale of their roster, the Steelers don’t want to be kicking themselves for missing out.
Sauce Gardner deal could trigger a wave of opportunities for the Pittsburgh Steelers
At the top of the dream list was Quinnen Williams, one of the top defensive linemen in the NFL. Unfortunately, the Steelers have already missed out on that option, as the Dallas Cowboys sent the Jets a first-round pick and more for the talented defensive lineman. Pittsburgh was quietly mentioned as a possible destination for Williams when his name first started to circulate in the trade rumor mill.
Having missed out on Williams, the clock is ticking for general manager Omar Khan to make a move with the Jets. They've already traded away two of their cornerstone defensive players, and could be looking to send more.
Of course, the Steelers are much more interested in wide receivers than defensive players. In his Tuesday press conference, head coach Mike Tomlin alluded to the team possibly making some moves at the deadline, particularly at wide receiver.
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The Steelers have been linked to both Garrett Wilson and Alan Lazard in the past. Both have experience with Aaron Rodgers, especially Lazard. Earlier in the season, the Jets seemed unwilling to move Wilson, and Lazard said himself that he would prefer to stay in New York around the time Rodgers was set to join Pittsburgh.
Laazard would obviously be the cheapest option, likely drawing a late-round pick or a pick swap similar to the Steelers’ deal for Kyle Dugger last week. Garrett would be more expensive and could draw a bit more on the trade market than Jakobi Meyers did.
A move for Garrett is one of the more aggressive trades the Steelers could pull off at the deadline. He won't draw the first-round picks Gardner and Williams did, but he's a valuable commodity that teams are surely calling about in the midst of this fire sale.
The Jets aren’t the only team with plenty of pieces that they’re willing to move. But, they have other pieces beyond those that Pittsburgh would be interested in, such as pass rusher Jermaine Johnson. If other teams scoop up too many of the players Pittsburgh doesn’t want, the New York might not be able to make moves for the players they do.