While the Steelers currently sit atop the AFC North, they certainly don’t feel like a great team. This offense has been horrendous, and while the defense has helped win games with big turnovers, they haven’t been consistent. While a 3-2 record looks good, a lot can change between now and the trade deadline.
Pittsburgh will play in two more games before the trade deadline on Halloween, and neither are gimmes. They travel to the Rams after the bye before hosting the Jaguars the week after. Neither game will be easy, and the rest of the AFC North is beginning to wake up.
The Ravens looked good in their loss, and likely would have won had their receivers stopped dropping passes. The Bengals are finding their stride as well, and it looks like they are getting back to their dominant ways. Cleveland is a mess amidst some more Deshaun Watson drama, but they have shown the ability to win this year with him at the helm.
If the problems aren’t fixed coming out of the bye week and the rest of the division continues on their uptrend, the Steelers should be sellers at the deadline. Even if they are still in the mix but the offensive issues aren’t solved, this team will be at least a year away from competing.
It would be a rare thing to see, but unless this team shows something after the buy week, this season will be another struggle for an average record. Instead, compiling some additional assets for players that may not be long-term fixtures is logical. While I don’t expect this team to be sellers, here are five superstars the Steelers could trade away before the trade deadline if their struggles continue.