It is officially roster cutdown season as teams begin to trim their roster ahead of next week’s final cutdowns. The Pittsburgh Steelers released a small list of obvious names already, but like the rest of the league, just cutting players isn’t the only objective.
Now is the time when teams wheel and deal some of their more attractive bottom-of-the-roster players. These are fringe roster players on one team who have some clear value to other clubs.
And for the Steelers, it is high time they pick up the phone and start calling.
In particular, three names stick out as obvious trade candidates. No, they aren’t going to fetch a huge haul, but anything is better than nothing.
The Pittsburgh Steelers need to trade these three players asap
DeMarvin Leal, DL
While listing DeMarvin Leal as a defensive lineman is incorrect based on his play in Pittsburgh, the fact remains that on most any other team, he would be playing with his hand in the dirt. That is likely one of the reasons that he failed in Pittsburgh.
That said, NFL teams love pedigree, and while Leal hasn’t lived up to his billing as a former third-round pick, plenty of teams could be intrigued with a former draft crush. A better plan for him would be a huge help to both parties.
Leal has flashed this preseason, although he has also shown inconsistencies in his game. That said, if Kendrick Green can be traded, anyone can. For compensation, you are looking at a conditional future late-round pick.
Skylar Thompson, QB
In my opinion, the Steelers have two routes to go with Skylar Thompson. The first is to find a willing trade partner and swap some late-round picks for the quarterback. If no one comes calling, moving Will Howard to injured reserve to make room for Thompson makes sense.
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Ideally, though, if the Steelers are ok with Howard being the third quarterback, getting anything for your fourth quarterback is a massive win. Depth at the position across the league is thin, and while you won’t get much, a late pick is well worth parting ways with Thompson at this point.
The loser of the Punter battle
I can’t list a specific name here, as an argument can be made that both Cameron Johnston and Corliss Waitman won the punter battle during the summer. Both had some spectacular kicks, and both should be starting for a team this year.
While fans seem to favor Johnston due to his more established name, Waitman has the stronger leg. Johnston does have better finesse, though, but at the end of the day, both punters are just about neck and neck in terms of overall talent.
I’d sell whoever fetches the higher price to the highest bidder and go into the season happy that you still have an excellent punter at your disposal. Of all the names on the Steelers roster, one of the punters is the most likely to be traded away.