The trade deadline has come and gone, and despite numerous rumors sprouting up, the Pittsburgh Steelers sat on their hands. While it has been reported that the team did call about a handful of receivers, no deal ultimately materialized.
In unsurprising news, Steelers Nation is in an uproar.
While it would have been fun to add a shiny new toy to this offense, given the moves we saw yesterday, we should be thrilled that nothing ended up happening. Pittsburgh is still in a good spot both now and for the future following the deadline.
The Pittsburgh Steelers made the right move doing nothing
It was an active trade deadline, although one could argue that there were slightly fewer deals than many analysts were projecting. It also felt like a costly deadline day for the receiving teams.
Jacksonville took the most swings, adding two notable players for their defense: safety Jessie Bates and defensive tackle Jordan Davis. It cost the Jaguars their first- and second-round pick this year, as well as a second-round pick in 2029, to acquire both.
While they are announcing that they are trying to contend, that is a steep price to pay. Davis is a great run stuffer who is hot and cold as a pass rusher. A first- and future second-round pick is a lot to give up for such a player.
Bates is a great player at a less valuable position. He is also a free agent after this season. If the Jaguars don’t make a serious push for the Super Bowl, these deals could easily backfire.
Jacksonville also isn’t Pittsburgh. They have a young core and should remain contenders for the foreseeable future. The Steelers are overproducing but still don’t feel like a legitimate contender.
Wide receiver trade options were limited, and the Steelers were right to pass
Getting Brian Thomas Jr. was seemingly the best option for them. The Chargers were against trading anyone despite their record, so Thomas felt like the crown jewel at receiver. Jacksonville wisely shut down those trade talks.
While he isn’t getting a lot of use, trading him to Pittsburgh or Kansas City for a Day 2 pick goes against your goals of making a push in the AFC. Unless the Steelers significantly overpaid, this deal wasn’t happening.
Keenan Allen was traded, but given his age and value, it feels like a fine move to have missed out on that deal.
Josh Downs was the last name fans were clamoring for, but he went for a fourth- and fifth-round pick (granted, the Chiefs received a seventh-round pick in return). That feels like a lot for a limited receiver who fills a similar role to Germie Bernard.
If the Steelers had a true franchise quarterback at the helm, I would have been all for them making some more aggressive moves. However, this should still be a playoff team even without a trade, and anything can happen in January.
Making a move at the trade deadline is fun to speculate on and discuss when it happens. More often than not, the players on the move fail to adjust to their new scheme in time, and many of these deals don’t reap the rewards people think they will.
It’s fine that the Steelers didn’t overpay for short-term assets when time isn’t on their side. Not making a move felt like the right conclusion for this team.
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